Editing Martinsville, Virginia (section)

===20th century===
[[DuPont]] in 1941 built a large manufacturing plant for producing textile [[nylon]] filament, a vital war material. During the [[Cold War]], the city was identified as a target for [[strategic bombing]] by the [[Soviet Union]]. This nylon production jump-started the growth of the textiles industry in the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://greensboro.com/dupont-to-shut-area-nylon-plant-600-people-will-lose-jobs-by-98/article_93c4be91-d53a-529c-b939-186a8c6282fa.html|title=DuPont To Shut Area Nylon Plant; 600 People Will Lose Jobs By '98|date=August 27, 1996|website=[[Greensboro News & Record]]|access-date=April 24, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chattanoogan.com/2008/7/20/131774/Remembering-When-The-DuPont-Plant.aspx|title=Remembering When The DuPont Plant Opened 60 Years Ago|last=Shearer|first=John|date=July 20, 2008|website=Chattanoogan.com|access-date=April 30, 2023}}</ref>

In 1947, the paperclip-shaped oval Martinsville Speedway opened. In use by [[NASCAR]] since their inaugural season in 1949, it is still in operation by the racing organization today. The speedway is the shortest oval in NASCAR.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nascarhall.com/blog/martinsville-speedway-turns-75|title=Martinsville Speedway Turns 75|last=Jensen|first=Tom|date=April 5, 2022|website=[[NASCAR Hall of Fame]]|access-date=September 22, 2023}}</ref>

For several years Martinsville was known as the "[[Sweatshirt]] Capital of the World", and in the 1980s it boasted of having more millionaires per capita than any city in America.<ref>Derks, Scott. Working Americans, 1880-1999: Sports & recreation, 2000, page 426.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://henrycountyenterprise.com/martinsvilles-textile-heritage-celebrated-at-founders-day/|title=Martinsville's textile heritage celebrated at Founders Day|last=Hietala|first=Callie|date=March 25, 2022|website=Henrycountyenterprise.com|access-date=July 4, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://unityarchiveproject.org/article/organizing-the-souths-sweatshirt-capital/|title=Organizing the South's 'Sweatshirt Capital'|last=Young|first=Denise|date=July 2, 2022|website=unityarchiveproject.org|access-date=July 4, 2022}}</ref>

Business leaders in the mid-20th century, like [[Whitney Shumate]], worked to improve sub-standard housing in Martinsville. He helped clear out a portion of Martinsville called "Mill Town", which had sub-standard rental housing originally provided for 19th century employees of a now defunct cotton mill. New homes were constructed in the neighborhood, built with sound materials and with all city services for the first time. What had originally been considered a depressed civic area rapidly became a center of progress as middle class Black residents finally began to prosper. As an editorial in the local newspaper noted, "One of the projects which won him considerable attention and praise was the instigation of the redevelopment of what was once known as Martinsville Cotton Mill Village. He and associates purchased about 50 houses in North Martinsville, and using private capital rather than federal aid, rebuilt them into comfortably inhabitable homes, making it possible for many persons to purchase homes within their financial range."<ref>Martinsville Bulletin. March 3, 1966. "City Loses Citizen who Helped Make it a Better Community."</ref>

In the early 1990s, changing global economic conditions and new trade treaties made Martinsville textiles and furniture manufacturing economically unsustainable. Many firms closed shop and laid off thousands of workers; the production moved offshore to other countries.<ref>[http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/henry/henry1.html "Threadbare: The Unravelling of Henry County"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120911051202/http://www.roanoke.com/roatimes/henry/henry1.html |date=September 11, 2012 }}, ''The Roanoke Times'', 17 August 2002. (August 17, 2002). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> The city is repositioning itself long-term as a center for technology development and manufacturing.

MZM, Inc. opened a facility in Martinsville as part of the [[Cunningham scandal]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/duke-of-deception/#|title='Duke' Of Deception|last=Rozen|first=Laura|date=January 13, 2006|publisher=CBS News|access-date=February 20, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/2006/08/01/pentagon-to-scrap-site-connected-to-scandal-span-classbankheadrep-goodes-earmark-led-to-contract-awardspan/c7e2d982-ba1c-4531-84a1-1e8942a90dce/|title=Pentagon To Scrap Site Connected To Scandal Rep. Goode's Earmark Led to Contract Award|last=Pincus|first=Walter|date=August 1, 2006|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=April 26, 2023}}</ref>

Memorial Hospital of Martinsville (now combined with the hospital in [[Danville, Virginia]] to become [http://www.sovahhealth.com/ Sovah Health].) serves the greater Martinsville and Henry County area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sovahhealth.com/patients-visitors/about-us/sovah-health-martinsville|title=Sovah Health – Martinsville|website=www.sovahhealth.com|publisher=Sovah Health|date=February 3, 2017|access-date=February 20, 2020}}</ref> The earliest local hospital was the 50-bed Shackelford Hospital,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20170314224644/http://mhchistoricalsociety.com/Education/Articles/tabid/1398/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/15/The-Doctors-Shackelford-and-the-Shackelford-Hospital.aspx The Doctors Shackelford and the Shackelford Hospital, Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society]}}. Mhchistoricalsociety.com (October 8, 2009). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> founded by Dr. Jesse Martin Shackelford,<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110714082415/http://mhchistoricalsociety.com/Education/Articles/tabid/1398/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/9/Dr-Jesse-Martin-Shackelford-MD-1869-1941.aspx Jesse Martin Shackelford, M.D., Martinsville Henry County Historical Society]}}. Mhchistoricalsociety.com (October 6, 2009). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> who was later joined by surgeon son Dr. John Armstrong Shackelford, an early graduate of [[Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110714081736/http://mhchistoricalsociety.com/Education/Articles/tabid/1398/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/10/John-Armstrong-Shackelford-MD-1893-1956.aspx John Armstrong Shackelford, M.D., Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society]}}. Mhchistoricalsociety.com (October 6, 2009). Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> Founder of the Hospital Association of Virginia, Dr. Jesse Shackelford was an early advocate of comprehensive care for state citizens. Shackelford Hospital was sold in 1946, and Martinsville General Hospital subsequently opened with Dr. John Shackelford as its first chief surgeon.<ref>[http://www.martinsvillehospital.org/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=0CA968CC-A380-49D1-B31C-CF2C520E62AC The History of Memorial Hospital] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090829185222/http://www.martinsvillehospital.org/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=0CA968CC-A380-49D1-B31C-CF2C520E62AC |date=August 29, 2009 }}. Martinsvillehospital.org. Retrieved on May 9, 2012.</ref> In 1970 Memorial Hospital of Martinsville opened its doors, replacing Martinsville General.