1925, Sallie Booker runs for office; 1950, stores closed for Rosh Hashanah; 1975, Family YMCA on Cleveland Avenue; 2000, Vicky Purdy hosts exchange student. PHOTO: Pannill Knitting Company in the 1930s; originally was W.A. Brown Knitting Company.

1925, “Colored Citizens respond” to street paving; 1950, MHS graduates head off to the Korean War; 1975, construction on First Federal S&L building; 2000, Character Counts. PHOTO: Oak Hill, home of Col. Pannill Rucker, tobacconist, built in 1910 and destroyed by fire in 1917; rebuilt, and now is the Parish House.

1925, free clinic for delicate children; 1950, flooding; 1975, renovated courthouse grounds; 2000, Project YES and Bill Maxwell. PHOTO: Martinsville Canning Plant, where people came to can the food they had grown or raised at home.

1925, 868 students in Martinsville schools; 1950, 210 members of American Legion - 40% of goal; 1975, Sunset House Day Care; 2000, new runway. PHOTO: Looking down on Public Square from the Kearfott Building.

1925, “Another Useful Man Is Dead”; 1950, Exchange Club sees movie “Telephone Courtesy”; 1975, silver burglars; 2000, fire and police departments’ Fun Fair. PHOTO: Starling Avenue Baptist Church and the barber shop that used to be beside it.

1925, interior decorator John Bray; 1950, Martinsville Seven; Martinsville Milk Board; 1975, bathroom rugs at JCPenney; 2000, new businesses for Margary H. Scales and Chip Joyce & Blake Thomas. PHOTO: Laying the cornerstone of the Masonic Temple on the corner of Bridge and Church streets in 1914. Hamilton Hotel is in the background.

1925, John Bassett announces political ambitions; 1950, thieves steal from MHS; 1975, Horne and Morris honored; 2000, tragic death of Elizabeth Stobun. PHOTO: Inside Kearfott Drug Store.

1925, meeting in courthouse for Girls’ Room Improvement Contest; 1950, black attorney Gregory Swanson wins step for civil rights; 1975, no attorney for Shanghai Thomas; 2000, proposed power plant in Axton. PHOTO: WMVA News Director from 1969 to 1990 Owen Hall

1925, Smart Dresses at Kolodny’s; 1950, men travel to Red Sox game in D.C.; 1975, lawsuits on school bus hit; 2000, Sportsman’s Club Labor Day picnic. PHOTO: Astor Cafe, Gulf Station and Chief Tassel Building.

1925, State Clothing Specialist scores girls’ rooms; 1950, most arrests were for drunkenness; 1975, siblings drown in reservoir; 2000, mandatory uniforms for middle schools a strong possibility. PHOTO: Home of Dr. Harvey Price on the corner of Starling Avenue and Spring Street.

1925, community meetings; 1950, fishing trip; 1975, rescue squad cleared of allegations; 2000, population decline. PHOTO: Crowd in front of the Setback Building; Hotel Hamilton is at left.

1925, Prohibition officers’ car vandalized; 1950, overnight thefts at Globman’s; 1975, recycling centers for cans; 2000, Sara Lee interested in Tultex department. (PHOTO: the Tuggle home on Church Street between Globman’s and Lee Telephone.)

1925, $2 tuition for Bassett and Martinsville high schools; 1950, one-way streets recommended; 1975, MFD on Jerry Lewis Telethon; 2000, William Carter honored. (PHOTO: Rives Theatre 1950)

1925, Blue Ridge Baptist Ass’n meets in Martinsville; 1950, Better Fishing Rodeo; 1975, Volkswagen Rabbit at Morgan Motors; 2000, fire truck for Collinsville FD. (PHOTO: Kroger on Church Street next to Rives Theatre)

1925, Stuart doctor & hospital; 1950, Lane chests at Troxler; 1975, Taylor’s Superette; 2000, John E. Tinsley honored by General Assembly. (PHOTO: Jan. 1, 1932, high water at Martinsville dam)

1925, Roberts Drug Co.; 1950, U.N. Flag Fund; 1975, Helicopter band; 2000, David Yeaman’s art goes to the Smithsonian. (PHOTO: Martinsville Train Depot)

1925, Kiwanis Club outdoor meeting with sandwiches (tongue, ham, chicken salad & tomato); 1950, ads for housekeepers; 1975, crop damage from hail; 2000, IDA to buy Tultex building. (PHOTO: the Jesus Joint)

1925, Piedmont Trust Bank; 1950, Henry County Industrial Expo auction; 1975, grant for driver training range; 2000, people on probation barred from Rivermont Apartments. (PHOTO: Fuller Tire Company 114 West Church Street)

1925, telegraph manager needs a breaks; 1950, City population 17,210; 1975, Exchange Club’s first fair; 2000, Tommy Grimes at Spencer airport. (PHOTO: Presbyterian Church next to Chief Tassel building. After it was torn down, a Woolworth was built there.)

1925, still seized near Figsboro; 1950, rainstorm does heavy damage; 1975, Mary Anna Jackson UDC earns A-1 status; 2000, Altrusa aims to provide fire rescue technology. (PHOTO: David Minter walking from Sinclairs on Chestnut Street, which runs between Broad and Bridge. McKee Funeral Home is at right.)