July 26
100 Years ago – 1924
The Henry County Annual Sunday School Convention was held at First Baptist Church in Martinsville. Lunch was served on the lawn of the Presbyterian Church across the street. [This was on Church Street, with First Baptist being on the corner with Broad Street, where a parking lot is now.]
75 years ago – 1949
Representatives of the Governor’s Highway Safety Committee held a meeting in the Circuit courtroom in Martinsville, to discuss road traffic safety. The meeting was presided over by Fieldale banker Robert Taylor. During 1948, there were 149 reported accidents in the City, leaving two people dead and 54 injured. In the County, there were 247 accidents with 11 dead ad 128 injured, in 1948. As a result of the meeting, the Henry County Safety Council was organized with 21 members and committees in engineering, education, enforcement and publicity. Taylor was elected chairman, and A.L. Philpott, secretary.
1960
An unidentified woman had been walking along Windsor Lane for a few days asking children who were playing outside if they would like to have a nice little kitten. So it was that four families ended up with new pets, though parents along Windsor Lane were hoping that woman would start walking in a different direction and give them a break.
50 years ago – 1974
A flash flood from heavy rains caused thousands of dollars in damages in Henry, Philpott and Bassett. A gauge below the dame where Town Creek empties into the Smith River showed that the Smith peaked at 9.59 feet instead of its normal 1.6 feet. The levels of Philpott Lake rose more than a foot. About 35 yards of pavement from Route 606 in Henry was washed away. The Blue Ridge Talc and Paint Co. was badly hit, with estimated damages of between $50,000 and $100,000; water reached up to 5 feet on the cabs of tractor-trailers on that property.
25 years ago – 1999
Both American Electric Power Company and the Martinsville Electric Departments asked people to cut back on their use of electricity because of expected unusually high demand caused by hot weather. An AEP spokesperson said that if the situation got any worse, rotating blackouts of 10 to 15 minutes might be instituted.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin accessed on microfilm at the Martinsville Branch Library.