Founders
Early tobacco market
Winston-Salem was once a tower of fortune, of richness and power, represented by several industrial giants. The significant wealth of the families who nurtured these businesses contributed to the prosperity and prominence beneficial to all citizens of our town.
Reynolda House
Built in 1917 by Katharine Smith Reynolds and her husband Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the house originally occupied the center of a 1,067-acre estate. Reynolda was the home of two generations of the Reynolds family. In 1935, Mary Reynolds Babcock, the elder daughter, acquired the estate. She and her husband Charlie Babcock used the house as their vacation home until 1948 when they moved permanently to Reynolda. The property remained in the family for nearly fifty years. It opened to the public as an institution dedicated to the arts and education in1965.
Today, in addition to the house, twenty-eight of the original thirty buildings remain. To the west lie the restored formal gardens. The sixteen-acre lake behind the house has reverted to wetlands, which provide a home for a variety of wildlife. Many of the buildings in the village are now occupied by shops and restaurants. A short walk across the dam leads from the village to Wake Forest University.
History of Reynolda Estate
Reynolda was multifaceted, incorporating income-producing farms, homes for employees, and numerous businesses as well as recreational grounds. 125 acres that remain of the estate now comprise the Greater Gardens.
The Reynolda Farms
Between 1906 and 1923 Mrs. Reynolds purchased 1,067 acres of farmland. By 1917, the year the home was finished, over 350 acres were under cultivation on Reynolda Farms. The farms produced and sold a wide variety of crops and products — vegetables, dairy and meat products, fruits, grains, and poultry. Pastureland was rented out to area farmers. The 1913 greenhouse and conservatory were designed to serve the needs of the family and Reynolda Farms, as well as to provide income through commercial enterprise, Reynolda Florist, which was an active business for over fifty years.
Mr. Reynolds died in 1918. Mrs. Reynolds married J. Edward Johnston in 1921. After Mrs. Johnston's death in 1924, Reynolda Farms remained in operation, but income gradually declined and other activities were discontinued. Most of the property was sold or donated to individuals and organizations, including a gift of 300 acres to Wake Forest College in the late 1940s for its new home in Winston-Salem.
Water Supplies
Water from eighteen springs on the property and Silas Creek running through it met the needs of the Village, farms, and Lake Katharine for Reynolda's first decade. By 1918, as irrigation needs increased, an extensive system of pumps, pipes, and fixtures was built. A pump house and cistern are located at the corner of Coliseum Drive and Reynolda Road.
Recreation
Extensive recreational facilities included the lake with a boathouse, a swimming pool, golf links, two tennis courts, an athletic field, and polo grounds.
Reynolda Village
The Village, with approximately sixty structures, included homes for employees, two churches, farm buildings, businesses, a post office, a school, and offices at the heart of the estate.The restored buildings of Reynolda Village today house shops, restaurants, and offices.
The Formal Gardens
The four-acre formal garden was under the direction of Mrs. Reynolds. The garden, situated between the family home and Reynolda Road, was designed to be enjoyed by the public as well as by its owners. Following the deaths of Mr. Reynolds in 1918 and Mrs. Reynolds Johnston in 1924, trustees supervised estate operations. In the mid-1930s Mary Reynolds Babcock, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, and her husband Charles became the owners of Reynolda. The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation donated the greenhouses, formal gardens, and 125 acres of woodlands and fields to Wake Forest College to establish Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest College.
Built in 1917 by Katharine Smith Reynolds and her husband Richard Joshua Reynolds, founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, the house originally occupied the center of a 1,067-acre estate. Reynolda was the home of two generations of the Reynolds family. In 1935, Mary Reynolds Babcock, the elder daughter, acquired the estate. She and her husband Charlie Babcock used the house as their vacation home until 1948 when they moved permanently to Reynolda. The property remained in the family for nearly fifty years. It opened to the public as an institution dedicated to the arts and education in1965.
Today, in addition to the house, twenty-eight of the original thirty buildings remain. To the west lie the restored formal gardens. The sixteen-acre lake behind the house has reverted to wetlands, which provide a home for a variety of wildlife. Many of the buildings in the village are now occupied by shops and restaurants. A short walk across the dam leads from the village to Wake Forest University.
History of Reynolda Estate
Reynolda was multifaceted, incorporating income-producing farms, homes for employees, and numerous businesses as well as recreational grounds. 125 acres that remain of the estate now comprise the Greater Gardens.
The Reynolda Farms
Between 1906 and 1923 Mrs. Reynolds purchased 1,067 acres of farmland. By 1917, the year the home was finished, over 350 acres were under cultivation on Reynolda Farms. The farms produced and sold a wide variety of crops and products — vegetables, dairy and meat products, fruits, grains, and poultry. Pastureland was rented out to area farmers. The 1913 greenhouse and conservatory were designed to serve the needs of the family and Reynolda Farms, as well as to provide income through commercial enterprise, Reynolda Florist, which was an active business for over fifty years.
Mr. Reynolds died in 1918. Mrs. Reynolds married J. Edward Johnston in 1921. After Mrs. Johnston's death in 1924, Reynolda Farms remained in operation, but income gradually declined and other activities were discontinued. Most of the property was sold or donated to individuals and organizations, including a gift of 300 acres to Wake Forest College in the late 1940s for its new home in Winston-Salem.
Water Supplies
Water from eighteen springs on the property and Silas Creek running through it met the needs of the Village, farms, and Lake Katharine for Reynolda's first decade. By 1918, as irrigation needs increased, an extensive system of pumps, pipes, and fixtures was built. A pump house and cistern are located at the corner of Coliseum Drive and Reynolda Road.
Recreation
Extensive recreational facilities included the lake with a boathouse, a swimming pool, golf links, two tennis courts, an athletic field, and polo grounds.
Reynolda Village
The Village, with approximately sixty structures, included homes for employees, two churches, farm buildings, businesses, a post office, a school, and offices at the heart of the estate.The restored buildings of Reynolda Village today house shops, restaurants, and offices.
The Formal Gardens
The four-acre formal garden was under the direction of Mrs. Reynolds. The garden, situated between the family home and Reynolda Road, was designed to be enjoyed by the public as well as by its owners. Following the deaths of Mr. Reynolds in 1918 and Mrs. Reynolds Johnston in 1924, trustees supervised estate operations. In the mid-1930s Mary Reynolds Babcock, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds, and her husband Charles became the owners of Reynolda. The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation donated the greenhouses, formal gardens, and 125 acres of woodlands and fields to Wake Forest College to establish Reynolda Gardens of Wake Forest College.
Graylyn was built as a private estate by Bowman Gray, Sr., a former president and chairman of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. He was born in Winston-Salem, the son of one of the founders of Wachovia Bank. Starting in 1928, Bowman and his wife Nathalie nurtured the construction of their new estate. Sitting on eighty-seven acres, the house was built in four years during the period of the Depression. Over 150 workers from all construction trades built Graylyn. The house measures 46,000 square feet. Just three years after completion, Bowman Gray died of a heart attack while vacationing with his family aboard a ship and was buried at sea.
Graylyn was donated to Wake Forest University’s Bowman Gray School of Medicine in 1946. It was used as a psychiatric hospital and later for academic programs. Nathalie Gray died in 1961 while still living at Graylyn
In June 1980, a fire destroyed the unoccupied third floor causing water and smoke damage to the first and second floors. Shortly thereafter, Wake Forest announced that the building would be restored. In 1984, Graylyn reopened as a multipurpose conference and event center as it remains today.
Added Note:
Steifel Mattress Co (est. 1915) provided the bedding for the entire house in 1932. In consultation with Tom Gray, they provided the bedding during renovation in 1984. Many of the restored beds were "odd" victorian sizes requiring custom made mattress and boxsprings.