Nov. 9
100 Years ago – 1924
The main building of the Piedmont Christian Institute, west of Martinsville, was endangered by fire. The fire broke out in the boiler house near the building, resulting in the loss of the boiler house. The cause was unknown but postulated to be a defective flue. The administration building was saved. Professor Thomas, the school’s principal, estimated the loss to be about $300.
75 years ago – 1949
The construction of Philpott Dam had begun. In the Smith River a coffer dam was being built to divert the waters so that the cement and stone mixture could be poured on one side of the stream’s bed. A tower was being erected on tracks on the Franklin county side to serve as an anchor for a massive cableway that would be built to carry concrete to the place where it would be dumped. On the Henry county side near the access road a trench has been dug to prepare for the laying of a conveyer belt that would carry crushed stone to the mixing plant on top of the high embankment. A road was being built down the side of the mountain from the access route to the place where the powerhouse would be erected o the bank of the river. About half its 4,100 had been paved with one coat.
It was the last of a 2-day open house for Bridge Street Motors Inc., on of course, Bridge Street. The company recently had reorganized under a capitalization of $100,000. Martin Lester was the president, Clarence Donovant was the vice-president and Thomas H. Meyers was the secretary-treasurer. The company earlier had been known as Donovant-Marlowe, and before that, Tire Rebuilders Inc. It handled General Tires and Lincoln and Mercury automobiles.
The basement of the National Guard Armory was used for classroom space by the City, and the National Guard was wanting its basement back to secure highly technical weapons it used. It also wanted to be able to use the rifle range in the basement for practice, it told City Council. Councilman C.P. Craig said he favored telling the school board to abandon the armory as soon as the new Patrick Henry Elementary School opened up, which also would mean the closing of Central Grammar School.
1960
Troxler Furniture was selling 3-in-1 Family Play Centers for $79.95, or $1 a month and $1 weekly. It was a 7-foot pool-table with a full set of 16 standard size balls plus 2 cues, bridge, rule book, chalk and all accessories, including a free wall rack. A 5-by9 official size table tennis top cost $19.95, and a pro-type billard conversion set was $14.95.
Lay away your cold weather clothing at Nathan’s in Bassett! For women, there were car coats, cashmere & cashmere blend long coats, mouton coats, dresses, suits, sweaters, skirts, Kiyak casual and Fashion Craft dress shoes, Van Roalte lingerie and Coro jewelry; for me there were Botany 500 topcoats, Botany suits, Botany slax, Botany sportscoats, Knox hats, Florsheim shoes, Jarman shoes, Rand shoes, Hickok jewelry, car coats, suburbans, alligator topcoats and all weather coats and pile lined jackets and suburbans.
50 years ago – 1974
About 1,000 employees of HCA-Martin Processing Co. plants in Fieldale and Rocky Mount were working alternate weeks due to a downturn. Only half the workforce would be on the job at any given time for about a month. HCA-Martin dyed yarn used in carpeting, and Ronald A. Ressel was the Fieldale plant manager.
Henry County Sheriff C.P. Witt officially received the keys to the new county jail on Kings Mountain Road, during the jail’s dedication. However, the jail wouldn’t be ready for use yet for another 2 weeks. It would hold 48 prisoners.
25 years ago - 1999
The Blue Ridge Regional Library got computerized. It changed how books would be checked out at the library: library staff scanned the books at checkout and gave the patron a printed receipt, instead of the earlier method of stamping the books with return dates. The library also offered several services through its website, www.brrl.lib.va.us, including reserving books and doing some research.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.