Nov. 20
100 Years ago – 1924
The area’s first appearance on parade of any large body of the Ku Klux Klan was in Martinsville, as 200 robed and hooded Klansmen marched through town, then held a ceremony. Some were on horseback but most were on foot. They carried a fiery cross of vari-colored electric lights as they marched along Cleveland avenue and Church street, Public Square, a portion of Fayette street, returning by Broad street to the Fair grounds. Parade-goers carried several banners with inscriptions, including one urging attendance at a local church revival, another stating a “100 per cent Americanism of the order, and another setting forth in brief the cardinal principles of the organization,” an article in the Nov. 21, 1924, Henry Bulletin described. “There, under the fire of an immense burning wooden cross, mystic rites were performed the nature of which could not be discovered by the crowds at a distance on the surrounding hills and elevations, who had been warned not to venture near.”
Another article published in the Henry Bulletin on Nov. 25, 1924, gave more information about the Klan rally. It described the ceremony as taking place at the ballpark. Hundreds of spectators saw candidates kneel at the foot of the fiery cross “as they were dedicated to the cause of the Invisible Empire. It has been understood that the work was put on by members of the Robert E. Lee Klan of Danville. The cross burned for more than an hour. During the ceremony a large search light was used to sweep the enclosure and keep off any alien who ventured to near the circle of Klansmen. At the close of the ceremony all local Klansmen were served lunch, consisting of hot coffee and sandwiches and cigars.”
75 years ago – 1949
Test drilling for a new bridge to span the Smith River at Bassett was begun. Samples of base rock under the river were being studied for weight-bearing capability. The state highway department already had allocated $175,000 for the new bridge.
1960
Baynus Hairston of Banner Street hosted a meeting for all East Martinsville boys interested in playing Pony League baseball.
A fire destroyed several hundred cases of canned fruits and vegetables and canning machinery at Patrick County Canning Co. The 100-by-100-foot warehouse building and cannery were owned by George Cristall of Martinsville. It had been only operated for about a year.
50 years ago – 1974
Martinsville native John Crews performed with the stage band at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. A Bob Hope show he had played for, which was recorded a month before, was shown this night on television. His parents, MR. and Mrs. George Crews, lived at 724 Prospect Hill Drive. He wasn’t the only local man to play at Caesar’s Palace. He, Al Ramsey of Martinsville and Ebb Williams of Danville were the three “Virginia hillbillies” of that stage band.
25 years ago - 1999
Lester Hone Center advertised plants for Christmas: poinsettias in 8-inch pot, $9.99; in 10-inch hanging basket, $9.99; 6-inch Christmas cactus, $4.89; 6-inch amaryllis, red or white, $7.79.
Top-Toe Designer Resale Shoes, owned by Cindy Lucas, opened at 939 Starling Ave. Members of the musical group Dodson Five attended the grand opening: Daniel Millner, Kasey Lucas, Scotty Lucas and Stuart Hairston.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.