HISTORIC REIDVILLE

Reverend Reid House

140 College Street

The Town of Reidville is named after Reverend Robert Hardin Reid (1821 – 1907), a Presbyterian clergyman and educator. He moved to Spartanburg District in 1853 to become the minister of Nazareth Presbyterian Church, a position he held for forty years until ill health forced him to retire in 1893. He challenged and inspired his congregation to commit to the cause to establish the Reidville Male and Female Academies, institutions that played a major role in education in upcountry South Carolina from 1857 – 1905, and he was the first Principal of the Reidville Female Academy. He also served as Spartanburg County’s first public school commissioner and, in that capacity, laid out the districts and established the first public schools.

The Reverend Reid House, built in 1857, was his residence until his death in 1907. It is listed as a historic place in A Survey of Historic Places in the S. C. Appalachian Region, prepared by the South Carolina Appalachian Council of Government in 1973 [Reference (1) page 142], and in Survey Forms for Reidville, also prepared by the South Carolina Appalachian Council of Government in 1977 [Reference (2) page 12]. It has been recommended (but not submitted) for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) [Reference (3) page 24] under Criterion A for its association with the development of the Reidville Academies, since Reverend Reid was instrumental in the development and leadership of the two schools, and also a leading Presbyterian preacher.

It is a two-story, frame, side-gable dwelling with siding and an attached Mt. Vernon porch. The house was moved from its original building site and is occupied by its current owner, Reverend Reid’s great-great-granddaughter and her family.

Reidville Female Academy Dormitory

200 College Street

The Reidville Female Academy Dormitory, also known as the Teacherage, was built in 1858 as the dormitory for female students attending the Reidville Female Academy. It is the only structure that remains of the Reidville Academies. It is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 141 and Reference (2) pages 13 - 14. It has been recommended (but not submitted[1]) for the NRHP [Reference (4) page 35] under Criterion A for its association with the development of the Reidville Female Academy. It is also eligible for NRHP under Criterion C as an example of simple Second Empire-style architecture.

It is a square-shaped brick masonry building built in a simple Second Empire style with a composition-shingle-covered mansard roof, six-over-six windows, a transom, sidelights on the second-floor door, two chimneys, and square columns on the two-story porch.

In the early 1900’s, it was used as a residence for teachers, and in later years, it became a private residence. Today, the Female Academy Dormitory is owned by the Reidville Historical Society and houses a dance studio.

[1] On March 1, 2012, the Preliminary Information Form was submitted to the South Carolina State Historic Preservation Office of the Department of Archives and History for acceptance to the NRHP. It was accepted for formal nomination on May 8, 2012. To date, the formal nomination has not been submitted.

Reverend William Cuttino Smith House

211 College Street

The Reverend William Cuttino Smith house was built in 1873 by Reverend Robert H. Reid for Reverend Smith, a Presbyterian Minister and a Chaplain in Robert E. Lee’s Army. It is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 143 and Reference (2) pages 18 - 19. It has been recommended (but not submitted) for the NRHP [Reference (4) page 33] under Criterion A for its association with the development of the Reidville Female Academy, since Reverend William Cuttino Smith was an instructor and a leading Presbyterian preacher. It is also eligible for NRHP under Criterion C as an example of a Victorian-style house.

It is a Victorian-style L-shaped house with a cross-gable roof covered in composition shingles, an engaged two-story porch that covers three-fourths of the façade, and a block foundation that supports a weatherboard-covered framed house. It has a bay window, six-over-six windows, and highly carved balustrades and carved columns on the porch.

Today, it is a private residence

Dr. Frank Leonards Store

229 College Street

Dr. Frank Leonard’s Store was built in 1900 and opened as a drug store across from the Female Academy. Dr. Leonard was a noted physician. The store is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 141 and Reference (2) pages 5 - 7. Later it became Harrison Brother’s store.

It is a one-story brick frame building with a brick foundation, boomtown façade, and a tin porch-roof.

Over the years, it has been used as a general store, a dry goods store, a drug store, and a post office. Currently, the building is privately owned and houses a coffee and sweets shop.

Reidville Presbyterian Church

340 College Street

The Reidville Presbyterian Church owes its beginnings to the Antioch Presbyterian Church, organized in 1843. Many from the Antioch Church left to found a church in Reidville that began meeting in 1887 in the Reidville Female Academy building. In 1889, the church building was constructed on the school campus with Reverend Reid serving as a supply or part-time pastor while he served the Nazareth Presbyterian Church. The church is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 142 and Reference (2) page 17.

The Reidville Presbyterian Church is also significant as an example of a late-nineteenth century Carpenter Gothic small church.

The church still operates today.

Reidville Academy Faculty House

100 Main Street

The Reidville Academy Faculty House (also known as The Wood House) was built in 1858 by the Wood Family as a private residence. This antebellum house is significant for its association with the Reidville Male and Female Academies as a residence for school instructors. It is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 143 and Reference (2) pages 23 - 25. On September 4, 1997, this building was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

The house is significant as an example of mid-nineteenth century Greek Revival residential architecture with late-nineteenth-century Victorian alterations. It is a two-story brick raised cottage with exterior brick walls covered with stucco and scored to look like large blocks of stone.

In later years, the house was used as a private residence. It is currently owned by the Reidville Historical Society and is home to the Society, a historical museum, and an antiques store.

Leonard Wilson House

311 Main Street

The Leonard Wilson House was built in 1860 near the Reidville Male Academy. Leonard Wilson was a teacher at the Reidville Academy and a store owner. It is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 143 and Reference (2) pages 20 - 21.

The two-story house is built in a Charlestonian design with exterior brick walls covered with stucco, a balcony, two chimneys, and Greek Revival-style columns.

Today, the house is a private residence.

Mac Leonards Store

Main Street

Mack Leonard’s store was built in 1860 near the Reidville Male Academy, and was owned and run by a Mr. Mack Leonard. It sold dry goods and supplies. In the 1890’s, it was the telephone exchange for the Town of Reidville. It is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 141 and Reference (2) pages 8 - 9.

The store is a one-story brick frame building with a brick foundation and a raised seam metal roof.

Today, the building is privately owned.

Leonard Wilson Store

412 Main Street

Leonard Wilson’s Store was built in 1858 near the Reidville Male Academy, and was owned and run by Mr. Leonard Wilson, a teacher at the academies. It was a general store that sold dry goods and supplies, a hardware store, a Masonic and Eastern Star Lodge, and a barber shop. It is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 143 and Reference (2) pages 22 - 23.

The store is a two-story brick frame building. The stucco façade of this building hides the brickwork beneath.

At one time, the building was owned by a local magistrate, Mr. H. M. Coggins, nicknamed “Yank”; thus, the store was known as “Yanks Store.” Today, the building is privately owned and houses a martial arts studio and a beauty salon.

Gaston House

651 Lightwood Knot Road

The Wakefield homestead was built in 1860 by Anthony P. Wakefield, a large landowner in Reidville who donated the land for the Reidville Academies. In 1905, the property was sold to Robert White Gaston, a cotton farmer and noted educator. After the Male and Female Academies were turned over to the Spartanburg public school system in 1905, Mr. Gaston served as chairman of the public school board of trustees until 1925. The original house built by Mr. Wakefield was moved to quarter the farm laborers, and the current Gaston House farmhouse was built on the original foundation in 1912. It is listed as a historic place in Reference (1) page 141.

The two-story farmhouse is built in a Classic American Four-Square design with exterior siding installed over the original clapboard, a balcony, an attached kitchen, original windows, and columns on the porch and balcony. The house is built on a rock foundation with a wood frame, and has nine fireplaces on two chimneys.

Today, the house is a private residence.

Appendix: References Cited

A Survey of Historic Places in the South Carolina Appalachian Region, Prepared by the South Carolina Appalachian Council of Government, 1973.
Survey Forms for Reidville, Prepared by the South Carolina Appalachian Council of Government, 1977.
Intensive Archaeological and Architectural Survey on Proposed Improvements to SC 296 (Reidville Road) and S-62 (Duncan Reidville Road) in Reidville, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Prepared by Deborah Joy, Amy Carruth, and April Montgomery for Arcadis, Raleigh, North Carolina and the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Columbia, South Carolina, October 14, 2003.
Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Improvements at the Intersection of SC Route 296 and S-62, Reidville, Spartanburg County, South Carolina, Final Report, Prepared by Brockington and Associates, Inc. for TranSystems Corporation, Greenville, South Carolina and the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Columbia, South Carolina, August 2007.

​

HISTORIC REIDVILLE