Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-02-19
Ify II. II. Thomas.

This little gem Of the mountains
MartinsvilIe--.is not baby. 1t has
been village. town. and city. II may
be said. for 100 years. When It be-
came tho county-snat o. Henry Coun-
~ In 1892. village quickly grew
around the courthouse. In tho olden
days county courthouse Villages did
not grow much beyond the Immediate
requirements Of the courthouse bust
ness. and so MartInsville's growth
was little the rise of eighty years,
ihnt Is to say In 1873. before incor-
porntion as IA town was thought to
be necessary. BY that time 1t had not
only the courthouse and jail. but
three or four storeu a doctors Of
Ace. a blacksmith shop or two. n ho-
eel. two churches and about $50 or
900 OF the best kind Of old virginia
people living within and near to IT'S
corporate limits.
Snrrow-Gnusc Ia BuiIt.
Then In tho carly days OF 1882 n
narrow-gaugc raflrond (now standard
gauge. known AZ the Danville and
Western and n part OF the Southern
hallway system) was completed from
Dnnvi!lc To the town. and later still
ne North Carolina branch Of the Nor
rnik and Western. running from Roa-
noke TO Winston Salem. was built
through the town. Mariinsvllle's
start In becoming one OF the livest
Industrial centcrs In Virginia may be
dated from the commencement OF the
operations Of the hrst-named road.
When these railways were COM
plcted to the town tobacco manu-
featuring plants and other Industrial
plants that had before then done bus
mess In the back country In the old
fashioned way, but which Ind begun
ir1 In ~
under the new order OF things. get
on transportation lines or go by tho
, board. selected this coming good
town as their new location.
Yet other industrIe. followed until
now Martinsvillc (w III its Immediate
suburbs) is town OF about 5000
population with property vniues ex-
ceeding Si5.0po.o60: with manufactur-
ing capital o! near $4,000. 900 employ
cd ana something over 1900 hands a
work: with banking resources I'm two
splendid banks OF over $4,000. 600 !:
with an annual retail trado OF near
s3,ooO.oOn and wholesale trade of
nearly ms much: with a leaf tobacco
business looking after annual sales OF
100000 pounds nj the best tobacco
grown In tho world: Nth public
school buildings valued at $4,000
and accommodating 900 pupils under
twenty-five or thirty teachers: with
church buildings fsix in number)
valued at more than S250.0Oo.
Owns Many Public UHlItics.
Jhe municipality itself owns a
hydro electric plant OF normal ca
pacity OF 1000 horse power for mu.
nicipal and industrial uses. including
the lighting system. all valned at
100000: water system electrically
operated. valued at $4,000; n tele-
phonc system, valued at $4,000; n
municipal hall and other buildings.
valued at $4,000, and. of course, the
valuable school buildings already
mentioned.
an the business sections. of the
town and IL large part OF tho main
residential section have bituIithic
paving. 10000 square, yards in all.
and there arc in tho town over six
miles OF concrete sidewalk.
ne Henry Bulletin. published here
ana which perhaps. ought to be called
me Mar,insvilie Bulletin, is one Of
town papers. Twice n week il makes
us appearance. filled with county.
STATE and general news and never
iaii3 to show what live town Il
ives in. The Bulletin has recently is
sued what ii called its third -of-a-
century Progress Edition" am go
ing 10 quote some from the brief and,
think, rather modest editorial re-
cital found in that Issue.
Some of Town's strong Points
Martinsville is built on n slightly
rolling plateau having mean altitudc
or LOO feet above sea level. Il is
blessed with natural drainage. which
mas been augmented by n modern
sewerage system.
Ihc water supply is pumped from
n pure and uncontaminated strcnm
carried through filtration plant TO
standpipe $50 feet above the town
ana piped--cool and clcar-to NIL norts
OF the community.
"A reservoir Of 500, 600 gallons IN
pacity has also been constructed neor
the standpipc, the water In the stand
Pipe being reserved for lighting fire.
Protected by the mountains from
destructive storms, with an inyIpor
atinG atmosphere free from excessive
humidity. winter temperature OF IL
degrees above zero Is unusually cold
while the usual summer temperature
is about as to 80 degrces-with cool
nights the rule.
The health OF the community Is
exceptional, the death rate for any
year never having exceeded 10 per
1000 inhabitants, even In. times of
epidemic.
School Facilities Excellent.
Public school facilities are excel
tent, covering seven grades grammar
scnool and four years high school
httinE pupils for institutions Of
higher learning. Handsome brick
ana stone buildings house the grades
ana nigh school and also includes a
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