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The Reid Collection was donated to the museum by Oscar Reid and the C. J. B. Reid Foundation of Belmont, NC. We are eternally grateful for their trust in us as we work to preserve this important history for generations to come.
Learn more about the Reid familing, school, and community with this companion piece.
At the beginning of the 20th century, in the emancipated South, the promise of safety, education and community drew many black families from rural farms to create self-sufficient neighborhoods where they could not only survive but begin to strive.
Such is the story of the beginning of what would become known in the Gaston County town of Belmont as the Reid Community.
The story of how the community began, and the family behind its evolution, is the focus of a new exhibit opening Tuesday, August 13 at the Gaston County Museum of Art & History in Dallas.
“The Reach of Reid: A School, A Community, A Family Remembered” explores the legacy of Charles Jesse Bynum “C.J.B.” Reid, who was born in 1878 in Gaston County, one of nine children of John and Margaret “Mag” Ferris Reid of Lowell.
C.J.B. Reid attended Lincoln Academy, the first private school for black children in Gaston County, and Knoxville College in Tennessee. After graduating from college in 1908, Reid returned to Gaston County and began his career as an educator and community builder.
Along with his wife, Maude Herndon Reid, he established what would become Reid High, one of three historically black high schools in Gaston County, and the focal point for what would become the Reid community.
“We are so excited to share this important and fascinating story with the community,” said Alicyn Wiedrich, the Museum’s curator. “Our partnership with the Reid family descendants and members of the C.J.B. Reid Foundation has given us a real insight into the impact of C.J.B. Reid’s life and work, and his belief in the power of education,” she said.
The exhibit includes family photographs, objects from Reid High School, store ledgers and documents, and personal family letters.
“The Reach of Reid: A School, A Community, A Family Remembered” will be on display at the Museum through the end of the year.
The Museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and Saturday, 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Admission is free.
