June 24

By Holly Kozelsky and Pat Pion

100 Years ago – 1924

Classified ad: “Come to my house on May 25, light bay horse. Owner may recovere same by proof of ownership and payment of damages. After due notice same will be sold for damages and expenses. Nick Hairston, Preston, Va.”

Notice in the June 24, 1924, Henry Bulletin: “Telephone Subscribers: Please cut out and paste into your telephone directory the following corrections and additions to the list of numbers. (Scratch all conflicting numbers.) Beck, D.I. Store – 116; Hooker-Bassett Furniture Co. – 336; Kearfotts Church St. Branch -193; Marshall, D.E., res. -179; Whitener, M.E., res. – 2034; Cheshire, Charlie, res. – 387; Hensley & McDaniel, Garage – 2116; Hudgins, H.W., resi. – 434; Johnson, A.B., res.-386; Martin, M.A., res.-420; Smith, D.L., res.-341; McCoy, J.Will, res.-394; Ramsey, Z.C., Store-413.”

75 years ago – 1949

Martinsville taxicab driver Flenoy S. Haskins filed suit in City Circuit Court charging damages when his 1948 model cab was demolished when struck by a freight car at the Lester street crossing in March. Surveyors were measuring the amounts of land on which tobacco was planted in Henry county. The county had been allotted about 2,200 acres of land on which tobacco could be grown without penalty.

1960

Festivities were held at the Figsboro Community Center: games with prizes, horseshoe pitching, a beauty contest, hot dogs, sandwiches, cakes, pies and soft drinks. The Ruritans were planning to hold such events all summer to raise money for the club. They voted to give half of this Saturday’s earnings to the Stella Ruritan Club, whose party finished club building collapsed during the heavy snows of winter.

50 years ago – 1974

The Henry County Board of Supervisors voted to establish and industrial development authority for the county, despite objection from local industries, which argued that there was too much of a labor shortage to bring in more industry and that (they claimed) such an authority would benefit existing county industry instead of promoting new.

25 years ago – 1999

A police officer from Germany, Udo Moeller, came to the United States to learn more about law enforcement here. Part of his orientation was to spend a couple of days with Henry County Sheriff Frank Cassell.

— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin accessed on microfilm at the Martinsville Branch Library.