Nov. 25 through the years

100 Years ago – 1925

On the front page of the Henry Bulletin: “New Drug Puts In Its Appearance – Effect Similar to That of Heroin – Secured from Hemp Weed. – The United States is facing thraldom to a drug obtained from backyard weeks [sic] and as harmful as the derivatives of the opium poppy. The drug is known as Marihuana. It is obtained from the hemp plant and is so similar to hasheesh that only a chemist an tell the difference between the two narcotics.”

75 years ago – 1950

Temperatures dropped from 39 to 12 degrees overnight, then down to 8 degrees later in the morning, and a storm of rain, sleet and snow partially paralyzed traffic. The storm struck unexpectedly, with 4 ½ inches of snow. Several hundred workers leaving the Friday midnight shift at the Fieldcrest Towell Mill in Fieldale were stranded in service stations and cafes when they could not safely travel further. Many workers stayed at the mill for several hours waiting for safer passage, and others took rides home from friends and taxis with chains on the tires. Wreckers pulled between 150 and 200 cars out of ditches. The same situation went on at DuPont.

50 years ago – 1975

Virgil Goode Sr. died at age 74. He was the Franklin County commonwealth’s attorney for 24 years and a representative in the Virginia House of Delegates for 8 years. When he left office at age 69, he opened a private law practice in Rocky Mount while also continuing to run his law office near his home in Rocky Mount. His son, Virgil Goode Jr., was elected to the state senate in 1973 to complete the unexpired term of Sen. William F. Stone and reelected in 1974.

25 years ago - 2000

It was Black Friday, and at Liberty Fair Mall, Belk and J.C. Penney Outlet reported their best sales days ever. Hugh Hagood was the manager of Belk, and Mike Self was the manager of the outlet.

— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.