Historic Home

Historic Home. Reynolds Homestead. , In 1843, brick-making and construction of the stately home of Hardin and Nancy Jane Reynolds began and continued into the next decade. The bricks were likely made on the property by skilled enslaved workers. The house was built in two sections, the first section provided basic living quarters, while the addition included a parlor and dining room., Today the house includes many original family pieces, including the mahogany empire four-poster bed on which all sixteen of the Reynolds children were born. The house includes a parlor, dining room, and master bedroom, as well as three rooms on the second floor. The interior of the home reflects the architecture of the Greek Revival period. Fireplace mantels and baseboards are painted to resemble marble found in fine European and American homes of this period., The Reynolds’ home contains a number of family heirlooms including a piano that was a gift to Nancy Jane Cox Reynolds from her husband, Hardin William Reynolds. The square grand piano was built in Baltimore, Maryland by Henry Gaehle and shipped to Critz, Virginia. A metal soundboard ensured the piano was not damaged on the arduous journey. The piano was placed in the parlor which was Nancy Jane’s domain. She collected seashells and often visitors traveling from the coast would bring items to add to her collection. Some of her shells are on display in the parlor., A Union soldier’s shotgun hangs above the door in the dining room. During General George Stoneman’s raid through Patrick County, the Reynolds family hid on No Business Mountain, while the soldiers raided the plantation and freed the enslaved African Americans. Once the troops had passed, one of the children found the gun on the property. It is said the gun was used by the children when they were learning how to shoot., [Captions:] , The master bedroom in the Reynolds Historic Home features the family’s original bed. The small burgundy chair and blue sofa were furniture samples, often used by traveling furniture salesmen. The cradle beside the bed was found in one of the outbuildings on the property, and may have been used by the Reynolds family or one of the enslaved families who lived on the plantation.