Centrally located in Rockingham County, Reidsville is the fastest growing municipality in the county. From the rolling countryside to the quaint antique shops located downtown, Reidsville is as historically diverse as it is visually.
The name Reidsville comes from Reuben Reid, who settled a 700-acre plot of land with his wife, Elizabeth, and son, David, in 1814.

    In 1829, a post office was established at the location. At age 16, David became postmaster for what would be called Reidsville. The position of postmaster was only the first public role for Reid, who would later become State Senator, U.S. Congressman, governor of North Carolina and U.S. Senator.  

    Although the town had grown little by the end of the Civil War, the arrival of the railroad during those years would be a beacon of future growth. Completed in 1863, the Reidsville section of the Piedmont Railroad became its main station between Danville and Greensboro. Major Mortimer Oaks, a railroad official and Reidsville resident, took advantage of the situation by building what later became known as the Piedmont Hotel near the station.

    It wouldn’t be the last time Oaks contributed to Reidsville’s growth. The railroad, combined with the city’s prosperous tobacco business, led Oaks to build the city’s first tobacco warehouse in 1872, which did so much business in its first year that a larger structure had to be built the following year. Other tobacco warehouses soon followed. By 1885, there were 15 tobacco factories and 10 tobacco leaf houses in Reidsville.

    Tobacco got another big boost in the beginning of the 20th century, with the establishment of the F.R. Penn Branch of the American Tobacco Company. Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Tareyton and other cigarettes would be produced here, driving out many of the smaller companies.  While tobacco was profitable, townspeople saw fit to diversify, turning their hopes toward the textile industry. After much encouragement from The Reidsville Times, the Reidsville Cotton Mill was built in 1889. It was off to a shaky start and went through much reorganization, but by the turn of the century the Edna Cotton Mill was fairly stable.

    The growth of industry was coupled with a growth in population. Reidsville, which officially became a town in 1873 and got its first mayor in Major Oaks in 1875, had grown to between 3,500 and 4,000 residents in 1885. This growth continued with the establishment of banks, churches and educational facilities.  
Williamsburg School, located just outside Reidsville, is considered the first public school in North Carolina, having opened in 1840.  As the turn of the century neared, Reidsville added an opera house, an art gallery and even a race track.

    More businesses and people meant a need for increased area. Between 1901 and 1965 Reidsville grew, mostly to the south and southwest, by 5.4 square miles and increased its population by more than 10,000.  American Tobacco was sold in 1994, but a diversified economy allowed the city to live up to its motto, “Focused on a Better Tomorrow.” Reidsville continues to grow today, but much of its physical past remains as a monument to its history.