August 16 MHC through the years
100 Years ago – 1925
Advertisement for Rippe-Prager’s Woman’s Shop on Walnut Street: “Corduroy Robes For The Girl Who Is Going Away To School. An early shipment shows several beautiful styles in good quality Corduroy – shades such as blue, old rose and coral. All priced extremely reasonable. We also have received an advance order of Fall Dresses in Satins and Crepes, showing some lovely models and color combinations.”
75 years ago – 1950
Reserve officers instructed to report to duty for the Korean War were Major Claude E. Taylor Jr., Capts. Joe Leache and Carroll Thomasson. Meanwhile, the Henry County Draft Board reported that it would not meet the quota imposed by the State Selective Service to send 104 men of 1-A status to send for draft physicals. Men who had appeared before the board showed proof that they had dependents and for that reason should not be placed in Class 1-A. Meanwhile, Congress was considering a bill which would mandate compensation for the dependents of men who are drafted.
Dr. Harold Kennedy, who would begin working as the Martinsville-Henry County health officer on Sept. 1, came to Martinsville to look for a house to rent. The new health unit would be stationed at Martinsville General Hospital.
50 years ago – 1975
The Martinsville-Henry County Oilers won the first round of the Connie Mack World Series in Farmington, New Mexico, in a game with score of 15-2. That advanced the local team to the second round. Team members were Eddie Pace, Buford Hairston, Jimmy Chandler, Roy Clark, Buck Davis, Harold Gravely, Bill Lavinder, Rusty Stadler, Harold Brown, Robert Hopkins, Larry McAlexander, Sam Blankenship, Tim Altice, Jeff Price, Willie Martin, Ricky Martin, McKinley Stockton, George Barber and Jay Fitzgerald. Harold Chambers was the head coach, and Tommy Turner was the assistant coach.
25 years ago - 2000
Martinsville Circuit Court Clerk’s office records were among the first such records in the state to be available online. Installing the system cost $130,000, which came from a grant by the state Technology Trust Fund. It would cost $5,800 a year to maintain, significantly cheaper than the $15,000 per year it cost to put records on microfilm. The website was www.ci.martinsville.va.us/crms/. Ashby Pritchett was the circuit court clerk. [That site no longer is active, probably because such records now are available on a state-maintained website.]
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.