The Reynolds Homestead, also known as Rock Spring Plantation, is a slave plantation turned historical site on Homestead Lane in

Critz, Virginia Critz is an unincorporated community in Patrick County, Virginia, United States. Critz is east of Stuart. Critz has a post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and ...

. First developed in 1814 by slaveowner Abram Reynolds, it was the primary home of

R. J. Reynolds Richard Joshua Reynolds (July 20, 1850 – July 29, 1918) was an American businessman and founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The son of a tobacco farmer, he worked for his father and attended Emory & Henry College from 1868 to 1870 ...

(1850-1918), founder of the

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and headquartered at the RJR Plaza Building. Founded by R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the second-largest tobacco comp ...

, and the first major marketer of the

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

. Upon liberation of the plantation in 1863, 88 people were freed from captivity and enslavement. It was later designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1977. and The homestead is currently an outreach facility of

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, serving as a regional cultural center. The house is open for tours.

Description and history

The Reynolds Homestead is located in a rural area of eastern

Patrick County, Virginia Patrick County is a county located on the central southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,608. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valleys of the Pie ...

, about one mile north of the village of Critz. The estate house is a two-story brick building with a hip roof, from which an older two-story ell extends. Outbuildings of the plantation complex include a large

corn crib A corn crib or corncrib is a type of granary used to dry and store corn. It may also be known as a cornhouse or corn house. Overview After the harvest and while still on the cob, corn is placed in the crib either with or without the husk. The ...

, a brick kitchen, milkhouse, and icehouse. The Reynolds family cemetery is located near the house and across a field is the slave cemetery. The house has been restored to its nineteenth century state and includes many of the original family furnishings. The property was first developed by Abram Reynolds, who built a log cabin near where the main house stands. His son, Hardin W. Reynolds, developed the estate in the mid-19th century, and it here that his son,

was born and lived for the first 24 years of his life. Reynolds achieved early economic success selling plug tobacco, but made an instant success out of the introduction of the

Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...

cigarette brand, which he marketed and advertised widely. Reynolds moved out of the family homestead in 1874. It remained within the family, but in declining condition, into the mid-20th century. In 1968, Nancy Susan Reynolds, R.J.'s only surviving child, purchased over of the original plantation, most of which she gave to Virginia Tech, retaining life interest in the homestead, which was carefully restored. The property is now managed by Virginia Tech, and includes a continuing education center managed by its Department of Outreach and International Affairs. It hosts educational and cultural events, and the house is open for tours for both individuals and groups.

References

External links

Reynolds Homestead official site
{{Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia National Historic Landmarks in Virginia Museums in Patrick County, Virginia Historic house museums in Virginia Houses completed in 1850 Reynolds, RJ Greek Revival houses in Virginia Reynolds family residences National Register of Historic Places in Patrick County, Virginia Houses in Patrick County, Virginia Plantations in Virginia

Description and history

See also

References

External links