Your connection to the past and the building blocks of our community’s future …

Daily dose of local history

Each day, this column tells you what happened here 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago. Relive the times of legendary and forgotten stores and businesses - clubs - churches - and people, as well as politics and the other “big” news.

Field trips & classes

The MHC Heritage Museum offers tours to classes and groups, such as Helen Howell’s Verizon Innovation Camp pictured above. Specialists from the MHC Historical Society also give classes and programs to community groups and schools on your choice of topics. Email kozelsky@mhchs@gmail.com for more information.

The top (main) floor of the MHC Heritage Museum annex is now complete and open to the public. Pictured above, benefactors Dr. Mervyn and Mrs. Virginia King cut a cake to celebrate. The next level of the annex will be open in summer.

Read our newsletters

Read past editions of our newsletters here. Members get current editions mailed to them - another great reason to join.

MHC Heritage Museum

1 East Main Street (former Henry County courthouse); open from 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays with a docent to provide tours; also usually staffed 9-5 weekdays with visitors welcome. Contact 276-403-5361 or mhchistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

13,000-square-foot annex

Displays of rare, valuable and interesting antiques are being set up in the 13,000-square-foot annex behind the courthouse. See this video from February 2025 on how volunteers, AtivWall, PRESS GLASS and Dr. Mervyn King are working together to make the new part of the museum. Half the annex is finished and open to the public, and the other half will be open in the summer.

Facility

The courthouse was built in 1824, significantly expanded in 1929 and retired from county use in 1996, when the Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society was formed to preserve it. The stately structure is available for rent for weddings, meetings, reunions, shows and more.

The MHC Historical Society offers free programs throughout the year.

Our popular Christmas Music Program will be held on Sunday, Jan. 5, at 3 p.m.

Founders’ Day, which each year celebrates an aspect of the foundation of Martinsville and Henry County, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 19, at 3 p.m. The focus will be on the civic organizations and clubs which have made our community vibrant.

“I know of no way of judging the future than by the past.”

— Patrick Henry (1736-1799); Founding Father, Virginia Governor and Henry County planter