Katharine Smith Reynolds (1880-1924)

Katharine Smith Reynolds (1880-1924)

After marrying R.J. Reynolds in 1905, the two moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1917 and lived in an estate now known as the Reynolda House, which Mary Katharine helped design. There, she focused heavily on agriculture, and offered literacy classes to farmers and workers in her husband's factories. She pushed for reform in tobacco factories as well, making them offer lunch and water to the workers and had a nursery built for the women working in the factories. After R.J.'s death, she continued various philanthropic works, including building schools and churches in the area, along with serving as the president of the local chapter of the YWCA. Today, a monument to her memory exists as a 20-foot tall obelisk that sits on the grounds of Richard J. Reynolds High School, one of the schools she helped construct.