May 31
By Holly Kozelsky and Pat Pion
100 Years ago – 1924
The regular examination for Second and First Grade Teachers Certificates were held Friday and Saturday, white people at Martinsville High School and black people at Martinsville Colored School. The exam on the Reading Course for the Renewal of Certificates was held Saturday only, and was based on the books Drigg’s “Our Living Language” and Starke’s “Every Teacher’s Problems.” The tests were open to applicants age 18 and older.
75 years ago – 1949
Officer N.H. Koontz described “the best trap I ever saw for concealing whiskey:” He and Officer Arto Haley were searching the Bassett home of Mary Hairston. He saw a large chopping block on top of chips and small boards, and lifted the block to uncover almost three gallons of illicit whiskey. Nannie Hairston pleaded guilty to possessing the whiskey and was fined $100 and costs.
1960
In the previous week three illicit whisky distilleries in Henry County had been located and “chopped up”. Two 500-gallon capacity units were discovered by officers on Philpott Lake: one at Bowen Creek and the other near Fairystone Park. An additional 300-gallon capacity unit was found in the area between Axton and Mount Vernon Church. ABC agents and members of the Sheriff’s department made no arrests nor recovered any whisky, but fully disabled the units.
50 years ago – 1974
A Bassett man was charged in the deaths of Kelvin Scales, 8, and Leonard Burger, 53, who had drowned after a boating accident in Philpott Lake. The man was charged with leaving the scene of the boating accident without reporting it or leaving his name or identification. The boy’s father told authorities that the boat he and his son and Burger were riding in was being towed by another boat, driven by the accused, when the tow rope broke. He said the accused rode off promising to get help but never returned.
Back then, each school planned its own lunch menu. Here’s what was on the table for elementary students: Martinsville, fishburger, French fries, carrot slaw, cake; South Martinsville, pigs in blanket, orange juice, mixed vegetables, brownies with icing; Irisburg, orange juice, fish, peas, bread, cookie; Fieldale, Baked turkey, gravy, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, wheat bread, orange juice; Stanleytown, big boy sandwich, potato chips, orange, cookie; Axton, corn dogs, tater tots, tomato and lettuce, half peanut butter sandwich, ice cream; Collinsville, hot dog, corn, broccoli, fruited jello; John Redd Smith, hamburgers, cole slaw, potato sticks, coconut cake; Figsboro, cheese and baloney sandwich, green beans, tomato and lettuce salad, brownie, chocolate milk; Sanville, hamburger, sliced tomato, French fries, prune spice cake; Spencer-Penn, steamed wiener, potato salad, cake, orange juice; Leatherwood, fish square, mashed potatoes, blackeyed peas, corn bread, sweet potato cake; Mount Olivet, hot dog, French fries, cole slaw, birthday cupcake; Campbell Court, hot dog, slaw, mixed vegetables, French fries, caramel cake.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin accessed on microfilm at the Martinsville Branch Library.