August 26

100 Years ago – 1924

Police officers I.T. McCray and J.W. Tyree caught a Dodge touring car with 150 gallons of illicit liquor, at the intersection of the Figsboro and Drunken Spring Roads. The car had a North Carolina tag. The driver jumped out and got away.

75 years ago – 1949

Hugh Nelson Dyer died. He had been born on Dec. 9, 1873, near Dyer’s Store, to James H. Dyer and Mary Hold Dyer. He was educated in county schools, then moved to Martinsville in 1884 to attend Ruffner Institute, the only high school in the area at that time. As a young adult, he was involved with tobacco manufacturing industries, then from 1899-1907 became a bookkeeper at Farmers Bank, the predecessor to First National Bank. He rose up to director, then vice president, of the bank; helped organize the Martinsville Cotton Mill; and helped organize American Dining Room Furniture Company in 1922 (later acquired by American Furniture); helped found Craig Furniture Company, later acquired by the Bassett Furniture interests which became W.M. Bassett Furniture Co. At the time of his death, he was  director of First National Bank, Henry County Plywood Corp. and Stanley Furniture, and was involved with First United Methodist Church. He served on City Council from 1930 to 1944 and was a member of Piedmont Lodge of the Masons.

All Brownie Scouts were summoned to meet in front of the Rives Theatre, dressed in their uniforms, at 3 p.m., for a theatre party, which would replace the normal Friday afternoon reading hour.

1960

Textbooks for local school students were not just lent – they had to be purchased by parents for the students. The sale of textbooks was going on at each school, through Sept. 1, when school opened. Each school operated different schedules for selling books, such as first and second grade books for John Redd Smith only being solde from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on two days, to books at Ridgeway Elementary School each day from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

50 years ago – 1974

The Family YMCA was getting ready to start fall classes, such as yoga, beginner’s bridge and tennis. A racket club was organized for competitive play and tournaments. The aquatic program was revamped for more emphasis on conditioning and lifesaving techniques, and $500 in equipment was put into a room for ladies’ exercise classes.

25 years ago - 1999

At Jim Mills Lincoln-Mercury-Jeep on U.S. 220 north of Bassett Forks, if you bought a new 1999 Mercury Mountaineer, you’d get a $1,000 rebate, financing ranging from 0.9% over 3 years to 4.9% over 5 years, and a free Zappy Folding Electric Scooter.

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