Editing Reidsville, North Carolina (section)

==History==
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[[File:Post Office and Confederate statue - Reidsville, North Carolina (1912).jpg|thumb|right|Post office and Confederate statue (1912)]]
The roots of Reidsville date back to the early 19th century when William Wright of the [[Little Troublesome Creek (Haw River tributary)|Little Troublesome Creek]] area owned a tavern and store on the road connecting Danville and Salem. This outpost, called Wright's Crossroads, was the earliest settlement in the present-day city and was overseen by Wright's son, Nathan, and then Nathan Wright's son-in-law, Robert Payne Richardson. Richardson's home, built in 1842 on a knoll overlooking Little Troublesome Creek, still remains on Richardson Drive and has the distinction of being the oldest standing house in the city.

Reuben Reid of the Hogan's Creek area moved his family, including wife, Elizabeth Williams Settle, and son, David Settle Reid, to a {{convert|700|acre|km2|adj=on}} farm on the ridge between Wolf Island and Little Troublesome creeks in May 1814. Reuben Reid became a successful farmer, operated a store and a public inn maintained in a private home and served the county as a constable and justice of the peace. When the family secured a post office, aptly named Reidsville, in 1829, 16-year-old David Reid was appointed its first postmaster. He later became a State Senator (1835–42), a U.S. Congressman (1843–47), Governor of North Carolina (1850) and a U.S. Senator (1854).

On November 26, 1858, William Lindsey of Pittsylvania County, Virginia, was high bidder for a {{convert|384|acre|km2|adj=on}} tract of land known as Reidsville. He and his bride, Sarah Holderby, a daughter of Joseph Holderby of the northern part of the county, moved into the frame house Reuben Reid had built across from his store. It is now a landmark in Reidsville, the first frame house built in the village.

[[File:American Tobacco Factory in Reidsville.jpg|thumb|American Tobacco factory building]]
Reidsville is located in east-central Rockingham County. The Southern Railroad passes through the center of the city from north to south. However, the town has not had a functional train station since 1988.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://greensboro.com/reidsville-considers-renovating-eroded-train-station/article_c67dde23-a244-5e92-8ae4-8e76a589187e.html | title=Reidsville Considers Renovating Eroded Train Station | date=June 16, 1992 }}</ref> The town was incorporated in 1873 by the Legislature. Tobacco was a mainstay of the local economy for many years, with the history of the city tightly woven with that of American Tobacco Company. With the sale of American Tobacco in 1994, city leaders have diversified the local economy. The Reidsville Chamber of Commerce, established in 1923 by business leaders in the community, is now located downtown.

The [[Chinqua-Penn Plantation]], [[First Baptist Church (Reidsville, North Carolina)|First Baptist Church]], [[Jennings-Baker House]], [[Richardson Houses Historic District]], [[Reuben Wallace McCollum House]], [[North Washington Avenue Workers' House]], [[Penn House]], [[Gov. David S. Reid House]], [[Reidsville High School, Former]], and [[Reidsville Historic District]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>