September 14 through the years

100 Years ago – 1925

While J.D. Bassett was in Martinsville, he let a lot of people know that he had decided to accept the Republican nomination for State Treasurer.

75 years ago – 1950

The tobacco selling season had begun, with sales opening day at both of the Martinsville warehouses. Sales began at 9 a.m. at Planters Warehouse. Sales began at 1:30 p.m. at the new Farmers’ warehouse on the Old Danville Road [that’s the big brick building with the car on top of it, on what is now called Brookdale). A total of 399,454 pounds of tobacco were sold at a record price of an average of $57.36 per hundred pounds.

Martinsville City Council voted to name the new bypass through the city Ford Boulevard in honor of Lieut. Thomas Martin Ford Jr., Lieut. Dillard Ford and Pvt. Lee Armistead Ford, who were killed in action during World War II. The three were cousins.

50 years ago – 1975

The 11th anniversary celebration for the new Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church on Fayette Street was held with a closing sermon by the Rev. J.P. Griffin of First Baptist Church of Danville.

25 years ago - 2000

For clothing, ladies could still shop at C.W. Holt Inc. in uptown Martinsville. Holt closed in 2003, the closing announced with a full-page ad that read “Georgia Lee Martin Lee – C.W. Holt Inc., The House of Quality – The End of An Era. Without fanfare, the doors of C.W. Holt were silent for the last time on January 31, 2003. Speaking about the store’s long-time owner, Georgia Lee, family members said ‘This is the way she would have wanted the store to close, with style, the way she always ran her business.’ The store brought this same ‘style’ to countless people for 27 years to customers from North Carolina cities and towns … as well as these areas of Virginia … A special ‘thank you’ to all the customers who were so loyal for the past 27 years. In addition, thanks to our ad representative, Jackie Scott and to the Martinsville Bulletin for their help with the Holts’ advertising.” Mrs. Lee died on March 27, 2002, at the age of 79, at her home at 2825 Mount Olivet Road. She had worked for Lee Telephone Co., Globman’s Department Stores, Woody Brothers and Dan Robertson Warehouse and the Division of Motor Vehicles and as office manager for McCollum-Ferrel Shoe Store and Rimmers Jewelry Store before buying the Holt store and becoming a co-owner. The store was Holt, Price & Co. in 1920 and 1921 (a 1920 ad showed two boys tousling on the ground with the text “Boys’s Dubblebilt Clothes – No Mending for Six Months”) and the store became C.W. Holt & Co. (“Style of the Times”) in March 1922 after E.T. Price, Hubert F. Walthall, Carrie C. Walthall  retired and E.T. Yeaman bought their interest in the store, to run it with Charles W. Holt.

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