Reynolda House Christmas Candlelight Tour

This evening we kicked off our anniversary get-away weekend with a tour of

Reynolda House during the museum's annual Christmas candlelight event!

The last time I peeked in on the indoor pool it was empty...

See those photos, and learn more about Reynolda House here

We've enjoyed the shoppes at Reynolda Village and have toured the beautiful

greenhouse and gardens many times; however, this was our first tour of the

interior of the estate. Did you know in 1917, the year Reynolda House was

finished, that Winston-Salem was the largest city in North Carolina? Or

that nearby Reynolda Road was the first paved road in North Carolina after

Mrs. Reynolds paid $10,000 to have three miles of the road in front of the

the estate paved? But as beautiful as the estate is, and it really is! I find its

history mainly tragic and sad. Mr. Reynolds died of pancreatic cancer at

age 68, just six months after the family moved in at Christmas, 1917. And,

Mrs. Reynolds, thirty years his junior, died at age 44, three days after she

gave birth to a son she had with her second husband. Mrs. Reynolds died

while all five of her beloved children were minors. We also learned that the

Reynolds' daughter, Mary Reynolds-Babcock and her family later moved to

the estate, but it was just days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. Because it

was so expensive to maintain it during the war, the family had to vacate the

estate to live in a small electricians cottage. And of course, there is the sad

story of Zachary Smith Reynolds, who was murdered in the house! So for

all its nearly unimaginable opulence, to me the house lacks a happy soul   

Nevertheless, Reynolda House and Village is a treasure for Winston-Salem. And,

following our candlelight tour this evening, we were treated to a yummy reception

while the Central Carolina Children's Chorus performed Christmas carols!

Happy Weekend!