1924, tent revival on Fayette Street; 1949, Latvian war refugee family taken care of in Martinsville; 1960, 12-year-old Axton boy busted; 1974, canneries at Spencer-Penn and Axton; 1999, Eltham Manor in Bassett (PHOTO: Astor Cafe and Chief Tassel building)

1924, school carpenter falls to his death; 1949, Mt. Vernon Baptist expansion; 1960, pharmacist ad; 1974, first black Ruritan Club ever, in Carver; 1999, Taylor’s Supermarket. (PHOTO: Baldwin’s Pharmacy)

1924, “the most drastic law ever passed by a legislative body in the United States on any subject”; 1949, firemen save Lester Bros. plant from fire; 1960, July Value Days; 1974, seven new houses and other permits; 1999, Carter’s “Biggest Sale of the Year!”

1924, Fair prizes include set of cups & saucers, coffee and a dozen bath towels; 1949, City votes to spray with DDT; 1960, former resident amazed at growth; 1974, Dwight Dillon, Chauncy Drewry, Doris Minter, Shirley Witt and Barry Speakman at work; 1999, National Catalog Corp. to open service center at Patrick Henry Mall. (PHOTO: Courthouse Square)

1924, big prizes for Henry County Fair; 1949, new water lines for Grayson Street; 1960, Drewry Enoch Moore turns 100; 1974, 4,000 in Leatherwood for Fiddlers Convention; 1999, Axton cannery and Hildred Moorman.

1924, Henry County allowances; 1949, sawmill fire in Leatherwood; 1960, liquor trial on 40 takes longer than anticipated; 1974, trade school opens in prison Camp 28; 1999, Celebration 75. PHOTO: Phospho-Lithia Springs resort in Ridgeway)

1924, Henry Co. Short Course for Girls; 1949, Danny Greene president of Pannill Post; 1960, Carolyn Minter heads to state finals; 1974, opposition to X-rated movies in Rich Acres drive-through grows; 1999, 100 Philpotts across five generations. (PHOTO: 1921-1947 Shackelford Hospital)

1924, man arrested in Roanoke for jumping boarding bill in Martinsville; 1949, Thomas Jefferson hotel; 1960, Lester Lumber Co.’s major expansion; 1974, tensions high between ER doctor and rescue squad volunteers; 1999, Aaron Clark as Ziggy the Clown.

(PHOTO: Dr. Jesse Shackelford’s hospital in Irisburg)

1924, men jailed in bath cell break out; 1949, furnituremen in Chicago; 1960, Pack 71 winners; 1974, factories closed for vacation; 1999, free gift at Belk’s Lancome counter included freshly baked French bread.

1924, Mr. Eans’ grocery store and movies at the New Hamilton; 1949, NAACP gets Martinsville Seven trial transcripts; 1960, Fireman’s Bazaar and the new Blue Law; 1974, a new, real emergency department at Memorial Hospital; 1999, no large sign for Aiken Summit Wesleyan Church. (PHOTO: Henry County Courthouse, 1906. Note iron stairs going up the center.)

1924, peaches available for 4 days; 1949, water problems on Greyson and Highland; 1960, flooding damage to carnival; 1960, dispute over Patrick/Henry border; 1974, county supervisors make plan to stop X-rated movies at drive-ins, and Martinsville native dies in restaurant fire in NYC; 1999, BHS grad Chad Bassett hits the ground running. (PHOTO: flooding in Bassett)

1924, Banner Grocery builds cold storage on Franklin Street; 1949, Smith River rising, 14-year-old with polio, missing 3-year-old found; 1960, mobile X-ray unit returns; 1974, the county’s first computer (Burroughs B-700); 1999, construction for Lowe’s to begin, and Adelphia cable. (PHOTO: Smith River flooding 1937)

1924, Preston 4-H Club, and Carey Asfaltslate Shingles; 1949, death claims third City Hall janitor; 1960, funny reason trucks were stalled; 1974, ANCHOR home for girls; 1999, Martinsville Christian School closes. (PHOTO: New People's Bank in Martinsville early 1900s. Bank was built in 1891 with granite from Rocky Mount)

1924, the Hooker construction boss shot by a worker improves; 1949, Rev. W.H. Hobson requests black deputies be hired; 1960, free chest X-rays by Patrick-Henry TB Chapter; 1974, big prize for George Giles. and funny way of seeing popularity of TV shows; 1999, Pluma attempts a turnaround. (PHOTO: Dr. Houchins, Dr. Hundley, Virginia Betty Bondurant, Annie Minter, Dr. John Shackelford in the Square 1910)

1924, work begins on Shackelford Hospital addition; 1949, lower grocery prices; 1960, Mrs. W.D. Stowe wins seeing-eye dog; 1974, new address system; 1999, laptops for students, butterflies at Bell-Jenkins wedding and big fishing prizes for Mark Cooper. (PHOTO: Globman’s in 1929)

1924, C.W. Holt store; 1949, thousands attend Henry County Horse Show; 1960, Southside Swimming Pool Ass’n (Clyde England, Jane English, John Swezey); 1974, YMCA directors; 1999, award for Darryl Holland, and Bassett Furniture & Nancy Moore help refugees (PHOTO: laying cornerstone for C.W. Holt store, 1919)

1924, telephone listings; 1949, taxi cab driver sues; 1960, Figsboro Community Center festivities; 1974, beginnings of IDA; 1999, German police officer gets orientation from Sheriff Frank Cassell (PHOTO: Covered bridge near Martinsville, 1911)

1924, the fancy First National Bank; 1949, factories’ vacation pay; 1960, visitors to Du Pont, and a lost cow; 1974, Bassett Furniture employee hit by train. (PHOTO: eating melons on the southwest corner of Courthouse Square)

1924, Oldsmobile Six at Gerald W. King, Martinsville; 1949, early store closings for summer; 1960, Henry County has “one of the worst” garbage problems in Virginia

1924, 4-H socials and “HURRAH! BASE-BALL!”; 1949, proposed street to Sylvan Ridge, and more city-wide insect fogging; 1960, Bassett folks recover wheelchair from lake; 1974, 300 donors for Dan Greene Memorial Stadium. (PHOTO: Bridge Street looking toward Courthouse)