March 9
100 Years ago – 1925
In Axton Mr. Tyler Roach had a chopping and that night gave to the choppers an enjoyable dance.
Mr. Tom Roach was surprised with a storm dance attended by Misses Mary Thompson, Elizabeth Barrow, Madline and Clara Garrett, Lula Hobson, Maggie Stone, Pauline Davis, Messrs. Harry Hobson, Rubin and Dawsy Davis, Jess Ramey, Paul Harvey, Henry Winn, Clyde and Lenord Garrett, Dewey Barrow, James Stone, Howard Roach and George Stone.
50 years ago – 1975
It was a wild day in NASCAR’s Dogwood 500 Classic at the Martinsville Speedway. Fans braved 40-degree weather and ended up seeing fires in the cars of Ed Barton, Geoff Bodine, Donald “Satch” Worley, Melvin Chilton and Brian Ross. Ross was thought to be trapped in the fire but ended up with only one injury, a minor burn to a thumb. There also had been a collision and fire involving Roger Giffith’s and Ray Miller’s cars. Carl “Bugs” Stevens won the modified, and Ray Hendrick won the 250-lap late model sportsman race.
Brookdale Street used to be called Old Danville Road. In 1972, the City and State planned on widening the road from Church to Spruce street, and the cost was estimated at $800,000. However, it didn’t get started right away, and by the time it was going to put out bids, the State Highway Department put a moratorium on new highway construction, because of a decline in gas tax revenues that fund construction. Now the cost was estimated at $2 million, because of inflation, and the project still had not even begun.
25 years ago - 2000
Officials from the Department of Environmental Quality were in Martinsville to investigate an illegal dumping ground of construction debris between the old American Furniture plant and the DMV. Fred Martin Sr. owned the land through Fred Martin Associates. He called Martinsville Fire Chief Jerry Brock “Mr. Big Mouth” for overreacting to the trash, but Brock said he was following the oath of his office by calling in the state to investigate. The DEQ determined that there was were not any hazardous materials there. A DEQ investigator told Martin that the debris, which had been buried by the time of the inspection, had to be dug up and removed within a month, and she said Martin was very polite over the matter. Martin said he suspected he knew who had dumped the waste.
A total of 4,500 people attended the Chamber of Commerce’s Business 2000 Trade Show.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.