Five Row was a community for

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

farmhands and their families who worked in the Reynolda Village and Reynolda House in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

. It was characterized by two rows of 5 houses as well as a school house that was used on Sundays as a church. This community was situated in the most unattractive part of the estate, despite Reynolds' attempts to improve it. Residents of Five Row did not have the amenities that the rest of the estate possessed, however they had front porches and private hedges with flowers. The community was demolished in 1961 and has since been used for the construction of the city's second highway

Silas Creek Parkway Silas Creek Parkway is a corridor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that is designed as a partial loop around several neighborhoods, from northwestern Winston-Salem to the south central area of the city. The route is an expressway for a significa ...

Five Row School

The Five Row Community had their own school. Lovey Eaton was appointed by

Katharine Smith Reynolds Katharine Smith Reynolds (November 17, 1880 – May 23, 1924), later Katharine Smith Johnston, was the wife of tobacco Business magnate, tycoon R. J. Reynolds and a philanthropist who designed the Reynolda House estate. Early life Katharine Smi ...

as the first teacher at the Five Row School. 60 students attended the school and it was known for its academics. It ran a longer school year, functioning for 8 months instead of 6. Also, though segregated, they used the same textbooks that were used in the local public schools and taught the same subjects. The school was a large building and also served as a church.

Five Row Legacy

The Peppercorn Children's Theatre play, "Growing Up Reynolda," about the residents of Five Row premiered in June 2014. The play depicted the lives and jobs of the residents. The production was written and directed by Harry Poster. There is an official North Carolina Historical Marker at the old site of the Five Row neighborhood that is now Silas Creek Parkway.

References

{{Reflist African-American history in Winston-Salem, North Carolina African-American segregation in the United States