Now known as the Reynolds Homestead, this house was previously the Rock Spring Plantation. Note the hip roof and balanced design of the house. These are classic federalist architecture characteristics. Also, note the second story door. The house was built in 1843. It has an added wing behind it which was added later as the family grew. Abram Reynolds had acquired almost 600 acres here by 1825. His family lived in a log house, no longer standing. Abram's son Hardin likely had the 1843 house built. His oldest son Richard Joshua (RJ) went on to found RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. in Winston, NC (Winston and Salem merged in 1913) His Camel cigarettes made him the wealthiest person in North Carolina at the time. The plantation grew tobacco and used enslaved labor. I've read the slaves were freed in 1863 but don't know the story of how that happened prior to the end of the Civil War.
The rock spring which is the namesake of the plantation.
Some weird trees by the spring.
I think this is a tribute to the slaves.
There is a hiking trail of just over a mile which circles your through the homestead area. It passes by both the Reynolds family cemetery and the slave cemetery above. There are about 60 graves here, most marked with field stones.
Near the house is the family cemetery. Hardin and his wife Nancy have the large monument marking their resting spot.
Twin sons died a few days apart. One died on April 31st. How did that happen?
In 1968 RJ Reynolds only surviving child Nancy Susan Reynolds bought 717 acres of the original plantation, including the house which was in poor condition. She then gave it to Virginia Tech in 1970 retaining a lifetime interest in the homestead. She then restored it carefully, furnishing it with many family pieces which came from the original house like this piano.
Also restored were the separate brick kitchen, ice house, dairy house and smokehouse.
The fireplace is painted to look like marble
Note the painted doors
The house is open to the public Sunday afternoons from April to October. My visit here was arranged as part of Dan River Basin's annual meeting.
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