Five Row

Five Row was a community for African American farmhands and their families who worked in the Reynolda Village and Reynolda House in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[1][2] It was characterized by two rows of 5 houses as well as a school house that was used on Sundays as a church.[3] This community was situated in the most unattractive part of the estate, despite Reynolds' attempts to improve it. Residents of Five Row did not have the amenities that the rest of the estate possessed, however they had front porches and private hedges with flowers. The community was demolished in 1961 and has since been used for the construction of the city's second highway Silas Creek Parkway.[4]

Five Row
Row House Neighborhood
StateNorth Carolina
CountyForsyth
CityWinston-Salem

Five Row School
Students and faculty at the Five Row School in Reynolda Village

The Five Row Community had their own school. Lovey Eaton was appointed by Katharine Smith Reynolds as the first teacher at the Five Row School. 60 students attended the school and it was known for its academics. It ran a longer school year, functioning for 8 months instead of 6. Also, though segregated, they used the same textbooks that were used in the local public schools and taught the same subjects.[5] The school was a large building and also served as a church.[6]

Five Row Legacy

The Peppercorn Children's Theatre play, "Growing Up Reynolda," about the residents of Five Row premiered in June 2014. The play depicted the lives and jobs of the residents. The production was written and directed by Harry Poster.[4]

There is an official North Carolina Historical Marker at the old site of the Five Row neighborhood that is now Silas Creek Parkway.[3]

References
  1. Gillespie, Michele (2012). Katharine and R. J. Reynolds : Partners of Fortune in the Making of the New South. University of Georgia Press. ISBN 9780820344652.
  2. "Five Row: The Lost Village of Reynolda". 88.5 WFDD. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. "FIVE ROW HISTORIC MARKER TO BE UNVEILED ON MAY 14". Indian eGov Newswire. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016 – via Infotrac Newsstand.
  4. Mayes, Kim (27 June 2014). "The People of Five Row". Reynolda House Museum of American Art. Reynolda House Museum of American Art. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 2016-09-20.
  5. Green, Jordan (May 18, 2016). "Citizen Green: Correcting Reynolda's whitewash". Triad City Beat. Beat Media, Inc. Archived from the original on June 22, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  6. "What is Five Row?". Reynolda House Museum of American Art. 6 June 2014. Archived from the original on 16 November 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
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