Top-notch medical care is something you count on in Reidsville. And you can also count on state-of-the art care being delivered with a personal touch. From the physicians to the medical support employees and services, the health care community in Reidsville is geared to providing compassion, and the most advanced care available.
Annie Penn Hospital
Established in 1930, Annie Penn Hospital has served Reidsville and the surrounding communities for more than 70 years. The broad range of medical and surgical services offered is impressive for a town the size of Reidsville. In 2001, Annie Penn became a part of the Moses Cone Health System in Greensboro. The affiliation enables Annie Penn to provide expert community care, as an impressive array of services and treatments are available on site. Annie Penn Hospital is a 202-bed facility with 110 licensed acute care beds and 92 nursing care beds
Home Health, Long-Term Care
People are living longer and making the most of their advanced years. That's why it's good to know that Reidsville has many home health care and long-term health care choices in the community.
Several agencies provide home health care. In addition to the Penn Nursing Center at Annie Penn Hospital, several other nursing care facilities are available in Reidsville. Avante at Reidsville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center opened in 2003. The 110-bed facility offers long term and short term care and round-the-clock skilled nursing care.
Several large adult care homes operate in Reidsville. Carolina House, an assisted living facility, allows older adults to live in an environment where they can maintain as much independence as they choose. The facility features lovely surroundings, and a range of activities. It also offers respite care, and has an Alzheimer's Unit.
Also Reidsville is proud to be the home to Rockingham County Aging, Disability, and Transport, Inc.. This is a wonderful community resource that provides home and community care programs, group nutrition sites, Meals on Wheels, prescription assistance programs and transportation services - providing compassion, and the most advanced care available. |
Education Whether you are upgrading the skills of a workforce, packing a kindergartner off for her first school experience, trying to learn a new skill, or looking for a challenging high school curriculum to prepare your teenager for college, Rockingham County has the educational resources to meet your needs.
Rockingham Community College(hyperlink) is one reason why learning is a lifelong process in the community. Located in Wentworth, the sprawling 274-acre campus is dotted with pines and shaded walking trails. Residents and students alike enjoy the tranquil atmosphere as well as the resources the college offers.
There are many other highly acclaimed programs at RCC. The school has earned a national reputation for its fine and creative woodworking program. Its human resource development program is a standout among the 58 similar programs being offered at community colleges in the state. The program helps people update their skills, access their interests and make themselves marketable in today's workforce.
RCC offers 20 associate degrees and more than 23 diploma and certificate programs. Since students may take day and evening classes, getting an education is convenient.
For more information about RCC, phone (336) 342-4261 or visit the RCC Web site at http://www.rcc.cc.nc.us/.
Rockingham County Schools (hyperlink)
Educating the children and youth in Rockingham County is a top priority. More than 14,500 students are enrolled in the system that is made up of 16 elementary schools, four middle schools, four high schools, and an alternative school. The Bethany Community Middle School has operated as a charter school for several years. Six private schools operate in the county, and there are numerous private school options within easy driving distance.
To augment the work of the schools, the school system operates two Parent Resource Centers. One is located at the Booker T. Washington Learning Center in Reidsville. The center offers a lending library, a homework hotline, and conducts special programs, seminars, and workshops for parents who want to help their children learn. The school system also provides child care facilities. One is located at Reidsville High School. They are funded by Smart Start, a state program.
Heritage & History 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. Reidsville continues to grow today, but much of its physical past remains as a monument to its history. |
