Dec. 25
100 Years ago – 1924
The Pythians hosted their annual Christmas tree at 3 p.m. Christmas Day at the Banner Warehouse (Public Square was where they would have done it if the weather had been better) and they were prepared to gifts to 1,000 children in Martinsville. The gifts were candies, nuts, apples, oranges and raisins, and the purest candy obtainable in a beautiful Christmas box. The Fieldale band performed music. All parents were asked to see that their children were present, and Pythians were urged to make their donations to support the project. Fifteen hundred people, including 800 children, attended. A number of baskets provided by the Salvation Army were sent to the homes of the needy. Fruitcakes were sent to the homes of the widows of Pythians.
Minnie Pearl Carter, 3, of Axton died at St. Mary’s Hospital as the result of burns suffered in her home a few hours earlier. Her dress had caught on fire when she went to put some wood in the stove. She ran to her mother, Beatrice Carter, described as a semi-invalid, and in bed. The flames caught the bed on fire. The father, Albert Carter, was milking a cow when he heard screams and ran inside. He beat out the flames on the bed and dress. The mother was hospitalized.
75 years ago – 1949
For the 27th year, Patrick Henry Lodge, Knights of Pythias, held its annual Community Christmas tree celebration at the Henry County courthouse lawn. Santa Claus greeted children and helped pass out gifts in the crowd of more than 1,500. The guest speaker was Dr. Edwin S. Sheppe Jr., pastor of the First Methodist Church. Peter S. Ford was the chairman. The Martinsville High School band, directed by Ralph Shank, performed. Members of the Martinsville Elks Lodge had been invited, because it was the Elks who started that Christmas tradition in 1916 until the Pythians took it over in 1922.
1960
About 1,500 people, most of them children, attended the annual Community Christmas Tree exercises held at 2 p.m. Christmas Day on the lawn of the Henry County Courthouse. The event was sponsored by the Patrick Henry Lodge, Knights of Pythias. George W. Branham was in charge of the program; the Rev. Bernard Troutman of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church delivered the message; the Martinsville Junior High School Band under the direction of John Cregger played music; and Phylliscity and Eoanna Koumpas sang two carols. Santa Claus helped the Pythians hand out wrapped gifts and fruit.
The 23 prisoners in the County jail were served baked turkey with dressing, giblet gravy, buttered green peas, creamed potatoes, hot buttered rolls, pie and coffee for Christmas dinner; the county jailer was M.E. Hundley. In the City Prison Farm, under Superintendent Robert King, 70 inmates were served roast turkey with giblet gravy, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, orange cake, fruit cocktail, coffee and hot biscuits.
50 years ago – 1974
The body of an unidentified young man was found in the ruins of a burned mobile home hear Bassett. The man apparently had been shot in the chest with a shotgun.
25 years ago - 1999
Seven hundred people had Christmas dinner at the Mission Center’s annual holiday dinner. The Mission Center was on Cleveland Avenue. It was Scott Norman’s first year as head chef, filling the role previously held by Stuart Axelrod, who had gone to Myrtle Beach, S.C. It would be the last Christmas dinner at that location, because the building was changing hands. James Ayers was the Mission Center’s manager. Seventy-five volunteers helped. Simon and Betty Jean Pettie gave away fruit baskets, Rainbow Bread donated the rolls, several supermarkets donated food, and MARC Workshop, Quality Catering and Canteen Catering also donated items for the meal.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.