1924, three shows at Hamilton; 1949, tobacco arrives for auction; 1960, Dr. Toms reopens office; 1974, Franck and Globman, Christian and Jewish, get award; 1999, MURA and WHEE sponsor bluegrass and clogging. (PHOTO: Millner Store in Pythian Building)

1924, Baptist Aid's sale; 1949, emergency campaign for polio, and Betty Jean Owen is fifth victim of the year; 1960, oil heaters on sale; 1974, groceries at Cooper and Ratliff; 1999, Pluma announces closing. (PHOTO: Old River Hill Dam)

1924, ice boxes on sale; 1949, Elsie Millner, 21, gets polio; 1960, the gravy boat everyone seems to receive passed down - is on sale; 1974, Conrad Knight selected to design BHS; 1999, pep rally for Tultex. (PHOTO: Liberty Heights swimming pool)

1924, children's gingham school dresses and smart hats for the College Girl; 1949, five from Spencer die in wreck in Horsepasture; 1960, directors of recreation centers in Bassett and Martinsville compare notes; 1974, Axton-Laurel Park Lions Club denied bingo; 1999, One-Stop Cellular in Liberty Fair Mall. PHOTO: Lucy Lester General Hospital in Martinsville)

1924, "forever lost to a thirsty world"; 1949, Richard Gravely III, 12, dies of polio; 1960, asking strangers for rides; 1974, Rootin' Tootin, Bongonney, BooBarry and more; 1999, MHS students help refugee family.

1924, Chiropractor L.E. Johnson; 1949, Ellsworth Baptist Church groundbreaking; 1960, linoleum rugs at Troxler; 1974, community theater; 1999, predictions on the internet.

1924, private kindergarten; 1949, fixing motors for City rock quarry; 1960, tobacco damaged by hail; local polio telethon; 1974, first black councilman/mayor William Hobson; 1999, Beanie Baby panic at Liberty Fair Mall.

1924, Interstate busline starts; 1949, polio season's third case; 1960, Model Maniacs club; 1974, 1,000 attend Henry County Fair in the rain; 1999, 10 laptop computers for City patrol cars for $139,000. (PHOTO: E.L. Williamson's covered coal tipple on southeastern corner of Broad Street, 1906.)

1924, only one delivery of mail for Labor Day; Kitchen Contest; 1949, Richard Gravely III has polio; 1960, emergency polio campaign; 1974, new radar for police; 1999, Martinsville Astros win championship; Beanie Babies to be retired. (PHOTO: A.M. Dudley's ice house on South Bridge Street near railroad underpass, 1910, CA Richardson photo)

1924, J.B. Billings' violins; 1949, Owen R. Minter and Dick Hensley Jr. back to college; 1960, 14,450 returning students in MHC and 3,800 in Patrick; 1974, Skate-a-Thon; 1999, Dutch Inn buffets and full set of nails for $20. (PHOTO: Hordsville built in 1836 by George Rusty Hairston II)

1924, Curtain scrim at Kolodny's; 1949, rewiring houses for electric ranges; 1960, Senior Citizen's Club; 1974, nicknames yet again; 1999, new businesslike dress code at Carlisle. (PHOTO: Greenwood built in 1810 by Col Joseph Martin on Leatherwood Creek. It collapsed in 1940s and was reconstructed on corner of Mulberry and Cherokee with same materials.)

1924, Primitive Baptists go to court; 1949, another consultant to vitalize downtown Martinsville; 1960, new lights at airport; 1974, yet more nicknames; 1999, Day Star Ministries raises money to build a bridge. (PHOTO: Rough & Ready Mill in the 1920s)

1924, Roanoke Booster Club visits Martinsville with pomp and circumstance; 1949, site cleared to build Philpott Dam; 1960, MHC residents on polio telecast; 1974, more nicknames; 1999, County pays for junked cars. (PHOTO: House built by James Moss Smith in 1841, wife Martha Waller Redd Clark daughter of Major John Redd. House torn down 1966. Municipal building is there now.)

1924, Women's Christian Temperance Union convention; 1949, Better Fishing Rodeo on Whittle Lake; 1960, Ridgeway Community Center; 1999, arrests for Express Mart and Taco Bell break-ins. (PHOTO: 1933 view of Fieldale. Waller home is right of center betwee factory and Smith River. Photo by Va Historical Society.)

1924, booze captured at Figsboro and Drunken Springs Road; 1949, Hugh Nelson Dyer died; 1960, Family YMCA; 1999, rebate and free scooter at Jim Mills Lincoln. (PHOTO: Wallers Ford in Fieldale by Va Historical Society)

1924, payment to the Poor-House; 1949, car count and City's rock quarry; 1960, Goldfish Swim in Fieldale; 1974, nicknames; 1999, Corey Mayo, 13, hit by car while walking to school bus. (PHOTO: Pannill house)

1924, T.G. Burch & Co. contest; 1949, Chatham Heights garbage dump; 1960, Martinsville Air Patrol Squadron searches for downed plane; 1974, Villa Heights children hold their own carnival; 1999, Memorial Hospital report says hospital would focus on financials. (PHOTO: Millner Store in the Pythian Building)

1924, Straw Hat Day; 1949, Martinsville Cotton Mill Co. returns to regular production; 1960, two George Washington Gusler families in Collinsville; 1974, hearing held in X-rated movie dispute; 1999, new handicapped access parking for library.

1924, new rule for jitney drivers; 1949, 2-year-old recovering from polio; 1960, garbage dump concerns; 1974, Sen. Stone bequeaths to PHCC; 1999, JCPenney Outlet to open soon. (PHOTO: Prillaman's Market 1924)

1924, American Legion presented war film at Hamilton Theatre; 1949, 18-year-old inmate escaped for the third time; 1960, Villa Heights Recreation Center; 1974, nicknames for young fellows in Fieldale; 1999, Southern Virginia Optical with Mike Wimmer opened; 1999: (PHOTO: Slate and Moorefield's tractor in Patrick County)