March 29
By Holly Kozelsky and Pat Pion
100 Years ago – 1924
Mail Schedules: Daily Service Except Sundays, D&W Trains: Train 22 leaves 7:56 am., Mail leaves post office 7:41 p.m. [sic] Eastbound for Danville, Va., and all local offices – Train 4, leaves 12:25 p.m. Mail leaves post office 12:10 p.m. Eastbound for Danville … Train 3, leaves 8:34 a.m. Mail leaves post office 8:19 a.m. Westboud for Stuart, Va., and all local offices. Train 21, leaves 4:21 p.m. Mail leaves post office 4:06 p.m.-Westbound for Stuart, Va.-Closed pouch service for local offices. No registered mail services …
75 years ago – 1949
Trustees of the Martinsville Memorial Library Association had an opportunity to purchase the property of Bertha Bowles Shackelford at 233 Church St. as the site of the new public library. The price would be $25,000. If they bought that property, they’d sell the former Andes homeplace on Church Street. [The Martinsville library is located at 310 Church St. E.]
1960
Residents of the Figsboro area went on record at the meeting of the Henry County Board of Supervisors to request that the next elementary school in Henry County be erected in their community. M. A. Browman, secretary of the Figsboro Road Ruritan Club sponsored the request, suggesting any part of the block of property lying near King’s Mountain Road in Figsboro, since those students were currently being shuffled to Bassett or South Martinsville schools. Lester Lumber Company, in an additional letter, offered other property: a ten- to fifteen-acre tract which they held on New Beaver Creek Road, north of the City Reservoir. They further stated that should the county desire the King’s Mountain Road property instead of the Beaver Creek Road property, they would consider an offer of $300 per acre for school purposes. The issue would be decided by the County School Board as they determined school needs.
In response to recent discussions with the City concerning the Municipal Airport, The Airport Development Authority, led by Bob Wright, presented a proposal for a new airport at an unspecified site between Stuart and Martinsville. The new site would include a single runway, 1,200 feet long and 100 feet wide.
50 years ago – 1974
Winners of the Martinsville Exchange Club’s “Milestones of Freedom” contest were Michael Hubbard (first place), Margaret Ford and John Kennedy (tied for second). Each received a $50 savings bond, presented by club president Ron Kennedy.
25 years ago – 1999
Substitute teachers in Martinsville were enjoying raise in pay from $54 a day to $80 a day.
Martinsville City Council agreed to buy the Tultex building at 20 E. Church St. for $700,000 to use for school board office space. At the time, it was paying $66,000 a year to rent offices on Market Street. That is the building now owned and occupied by TAD Space.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin accessed on microfilm at the Martinsville Branch Library.