1924, Methodist Sunday School's silver tea; 1949, news of new, huge furniture market building; 1960, 200 MHC residents hear Nixon in Roanoke; 1974, even more Fieldale nicknames; 1999, JCPenney store opens, and Y2K seminar. (PHOTO: Lake Lanier 1966)

1924, Mrs. J.J. Minter first entrant of county fair; 1949, Council votes to start landfill to replace Chatham Heights dump; 1960, death of logger; 1974, Martinsville Disco Drug Centers Inc.; 1999, proclamation for Sallie Mason Clark. (PHOTO: Aerial photo of Liberty Heights Swimming Pool)

1924, human bones and adornment articles found in soil in Blackberry; 1949, ads target tobacco farmers and their wives; 1960, Larry Trull Fund Day, for polio help; 1974, Figsboro Community Building; 1999, Hooker Furniture Outlet Store sale.(PHOTO: Phospho-Lithia Springs in Ridgeway)

1924, Businesses close so workers can participate in National Defense Day; 1949, fund drive for Martinsville Memorial Library; 1960, Martinsville Schools' night classes for adults; 1974, City may lose one of its five elementary schools; 1999, TechEra Ccomputers at Holiday Shopping Center. (PHOTO: First Baptist Church, where Big Chair parking lot is now)

1924, 1,000 attend Kiwanis barbecue and Brunswick stew; 1949, time to buy from Martinsville coal; 1960, former editor of Bassett Journal died; 1974, City consultant recommends closing Fayette Street; 1999, VMNH holds Indian Heritage Festival.

(PHOTO: Clift's at Villa Heights)

1924, aeroplane over Henry County Fair; 1949, livestock awards for J. Frank Wilson and Lafe Prillaman; 1960, Rieves Hodnett; 1974, Mervyn and Virginia King on TV; 1999, recommendation to close Patrick Henry Elementary School (PHOTO: Old police and fire departments, now parking lot behind Martinsville Bulletin/old Grand Piano)

1924, three shows at Hamilton; 1949, tobacco arrives for auction; 1960, Dr. Toms reopens office; 1974, Franck and Globman, Christian and Jewish, get award; 1999, MURA and WHEE sponsor bluegrass and clogging. (PHOTO: Millner Store in Pythian Building)

1924, Baptist Aid's sale; 1949, emergency campaign for polio, and Betty Jean Owen is fifth victim of the year; 1960, oil heaters on sale; 1974, groceries at Cooper and Ratliff; 1999, Pluma announces closing. (PHOTO: Old River Hill Dam)

1924, ice boxes on sale; 1949, Elsie Millner, 21, gets polio; 1960, the gravy boat everyone seems to receive passed down - is on sale; 1974, Conrad Knight selected to design BHS; 1999, pep rally for Tultex. (PHOTO: Liberty Heights swimming pool)

1924, children's gingham school dresses and smart hats for the College Girl; 1949, five from Spencer die in wreck in Horsepasture; 1960, directors of recreation centers in Bassett and Martinsville compare notes; 1974, Axton-Laurel Park Lions Club denied bingo; 1999, One-Stop Cellular in Liberty Fair Mall. PHOTO: Lucy Lester General Hospital in Martinsville)

1924, "forever lost to a thirsty world"; 1949, Richard Gravely III, 12, dies of polio; 1960, asking strangers for rides; 1974, Rootin' Tootin, Bongonney, BooBarry and more; 1999, MHS students help refugee family.

1924, Chiropractor L.E. Johnson; 1949, Ellsworth Baptist Church groundbreaking; 1960, linoleum rugs at Troxler; 1974, community theater; 1999, predictions on the internet.

1924, private kindergarten; 1949, fixing motors for City rock quarry; 1960, tobacco damaged by hail; local polio telethon; 1974, first black councilman/mayor William Hobson; 1999, Beanie Baby panic at Liberty Fair Mall.

1924, Interstate busline starts; 1949, polio season's third case; 1960, Model Maniacs club; 1974, 1,000 attend Henry County Fair in the rain; 1999, 10 laptop computers for City patrol cars for $139,000. (PHOTO: E.L. Williamson's covered coal tipple on southeastern corner of Broad Street, 1906.)

1924, only one delivery of mail for Labor Day; Kitchen Contest; 1949, Richard Gravely III has polio; 1960, emergency polio campaign; 1974, new radar for police; 1999, Martinsville Astros win championship; Beanie Babies to be retired. (PHOTO: A.M. Dudley's ice house on South Bridge Street near railroad underpass, 1910, CA Richardson photo)

1924, J.B. Billings' violins; 1949, Owen R. Minter and Dick Hensley Jr. back to college; 1960, 14,450 returning students in MHC and 3,800 in Patrick; 1974, Skate-a-Thon; 1999, Dutch Inn buffets and full set of nails for $20. (PHOTO: Hordsville built in 1836 by George Rusty Hairston II)

1924, Curtain scrim at Kolodny's; 1949, rewiring houses for electric ranges; 1960, Senior Citizen's Club; 1974, nicknames yet again; 1999, new businesslike dress code at Carlisle. (PHOTO: Greenwood built in 1810 by Col Joseph Martin on Leatherwood Creek. It collapsed in 1940s and was reconstructed on corner of Mulberry and Cherokee with same materials.)

1924, Primitive Baptists go to court; 1949, another consultant to vitalize downtown Martinsville; 1960, new lights at airport; 1974, yet more nicknames; 1999, Day Star Ministries raises money to build a bridge. (PHOTO: Rough & Ready Mill in the 1920s)

1924, Roanoke Booster Club visits Martinsville with pomp and circumstance; 1949, site cleared to build Philpott Dam; 1960, MHC residents on polio telecast; 1974, more nicknames; 1999, County pays for junked cars. (PHOTO: House built by James Moss Smith in 1841, wife Martha Waller Redd Clark daughter of Major John Redd. House torn down 1966. Municipal building is there now.)

1924, Women's Christian Temperance Union convention; 1949, Better Fishing Rodeo on Whittle Lake; 1960, Ridgeway Community Center; 1999, arrests for Express Mart and Taco Bell break-ins. (PHOTO: 1933 view of Fieldale. Waller home is right of center betwee factory and Smith River. Photo by Va Historical Society.)