March 3
100 Years ago – 1925
In Bassett, Mr. Koger had arrived to start a hardware store two doors down from Craig and Basset’s store.
75 years ago – 1950
Coal at the City Prison Farm had run out, but a local resident saved the day by transferring over 3 tons of coal from his house to the city farm. That 3 tons would keep the jail warm for 2 weeks. That resident recently had converted to oil heat so didn’t need the coal anymore. Meanwhile, the jail was expecting a delivery of run-of-the-mine coal within a few days.
The owner of the Villa Heights Grill on Highway 220 was convicted in County Trial Justice Court on five charges of violating the state labor laws. He was fined $10 and court costs on charges of contracting female employees to work more than 48 hours in one week and more than 9 hours in one day, and a similar among for allegedly not posting the working hours of employees. He also had been charged with employing a girl under age 18, but was not found guilty, because that girl had signed a statement saying she was 19. The women who worked there were Barbara and Betty Merriman and Mrs. Christine Talbot.
50 years ago – 1975
In Martinsville, school lunch cost 50 cents at the high school and 45 cents in the lower schools. Free lunch went to 1,141 students, and 1,660 students paid full price. The federal government reimbursed the school system 60.5 cents for each free lunch and 10.5 cents for each full-priced lunch. In the county, 6,283 paid full price (40 and 45 cents), 2,914 paid nothing, and 257 paid a reduced rate of 20 cents. Shirley Wilson was the county’s school lunch supervisor, and there were 24 schools in the county.
25 years ago - 2000
The Danville Association for Retarded Citizens Inc. filed a seven-count lawsuit against the Henry County Board of Supervisors in efforts to get the use of the Fieldcrest Lodge as a school. The Henry County Planning Commission twice had recommended rezoning 334 of the 493 acres from Industrial 1-1 to Agricultural A-1, which would allow a school. The Danville Association of Retarded Citizens wanted the Lodge to be the site of White Oak School.
— Information from museum records and the Henry Bulletin and the Martinsville Bulletin.