March 5

100 Years ago – 1925

The Mutual Building and Loan Association with O.R. Easly as secretary was on a campaign for more customers. On a bulletin board outside the entrance to the Brown Building, the illustration of a thermometer showed a rise in “temperature” to measure an increase in new policy holders.

75 years ago – 1950

A fire erupted in the First National Bank on Public Square, but the building was saved by fire-proofing measures that just had been recommended in the fall by the city fire marshal. That included a fire door and the enclosure of an exposed area of the basement. The fire happened in the basement, and it was stopped from going up two stairwells by a fire door at one stairway to the main bank lobby, and a cinderblock wall in front of another. The fire was determined to have been caused by greasy cleaning rags on a rack, by spontaneous combustion. It took 2 hours to extinguish the blaze, which caused a few hundred dollars’ worth of smoke and water damage. Firemen saved $5,000 worth of stationery.

50 years ago – 1975

First United Methodist Church hosted a CROP organizational meeting, attended by 26 people from nine area churches. The group was planning a “march for food” for the people of the world who did not get enough food.

Michael Dwayne Dobbins, 20, of Martinsville died in a car crash on U.S. 58 near Spencer.

25 years ago - 2000

You could get a meal at Aloha Wok in Collinsville for $6.95, fried baby shrimp on Sundays at Captain Tom’s for $5.75, Sunday Buffet at Hong Kong for $6.95, a large 8-topping pizza at Jo Jo’s Pizza for $8.88 or salads and sandwiches at Kashmir Kafe International in Liberty Fair Mall.

Kristen Webster in the instrumental division and Roxie Reeves in the vocal division won first place in the Martinsville Lions Club’s annual Music Scholarship Contest.

— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.