August 21 through the years MHC
100 Years ago – 1925
A new “Automobile Home and Service Station”, the O.V. Huskey Service Company, opened on the corner of Moss and Fayette streets. Its product line included That Gold Gulf and Marathon gasoline, Supreme auto oil, greases, accessories, tires, tubes, repair parts and more. Air and water were offered free. On the opening day, each white person spending $1 or more would receive a ticket to the Hamilton Theatre, and each colored patron would receive a ticket to the Baldwin Theatre.
Ad: “JUST RECEIVED a fresh SHIPMENT OF NUNNALLY’S CANDIES – The Candy of the South. BOX BOUNTIFUL – VANITY FAIR PACKAGE – GOLD BOX are three favorites - $1.50 lb. in 1, 2 and 3 pound boxes. C.P. KEARFOTT & SON “ON THE SQUARE” PHONE 144 MARTINSVILLE, VA.”
75 years ago – 1950
Seventy-four Henry County men left on three Greyhound buses for examinations for suitability to serve in the Korean War.
Henry County Furniture Company offered General Electric’s Space Maker refrigerator at $3.30 per week. The store was located on the square and had been in business for 50 years.
C.W. Holt held an advance showing of fur coats by New York Wells fur expert Irving Solof. Costing $199 ($2,661 today) were mink-dyed northern black muskrat, sable-dyed squirrel capes, mutation silver blue northern muskrat, midnight blue Persian lamp paw, letout mink dyed marmots and natural silky grey Chinese kidskin. Costing $299 ($2,669 today) were natural wild mink gill, dyed squirrel, beaver sheared raccoon, natural spotted ocelot, grey dyed Indian lamb and black Persian lamb. Other fur coats, capes and jackets cost up to $3,995 ($53,000).
50 years ago – 1975
The Martinsville-Henry County Oilers baseball team returned from the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico, to grand acclaim. The local oil dealers association decorated the team’s bus with banners. City and county police organized traffic for a motorcade from K-Mart to city hall, where a ceremony was held. The emcee was Ed Davis of the Davis Oil Company. Several team members and Coach Harold Chambers spoke, as well as WMVA sports broadcaster Pete Bluhm, Bulletin sports writer Gary Schwartz, Mayor Harry L. Boaz and Melvin Brown, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors. Hundreds of cars joined in the motorcade, and 1,000 people were at the city hall ceremony.
Frances Fowler, 26, directed her first play in Martinsville, “Story Theater” by Paul Sills, in the new outdoor amphitheater in Jaycee Park in Collinsville. The play was sponsored by the Jaycees and the Playmakers. It was the first performance in the 100-seat amphitheater.
25 years ago - 2000
Some places that offered child care in the area were Abundant Life Daycare at 231 Ford St., Collinsville; Piedmont Child Care; and Stanleytown Baptist Children’s Center #2 at the Bassett Community Center.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.