The Jennings-Baker house was built in 1888. So much history with this one! That old picture they included is everything! The brickwork is amazing and it should be! Let me share the history. William G. Jennings and his son-in-law were in business together. In the October 1887 edition of the Reidsville Times there was an advertisement for their business. “Manufacturers and contractors of all kinds of brick and brickwork.” By 1889 Jennings company could produce 20,000 bricks a day! His company produced 400,000 bricks for the local cotton mill that was being built. They say his house was designed to show off his bricks and all that he could do with them. The house was described as a small gothic castle back in the day. In 1900 Jennings sold his brickyard and his house and moved to Guilford County. In 1905 the house was purchased by the Baker family. Mary Baker was a well known photographer back in the day.
This home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Reidsville is a small town situated 30 minutes from Greensboro one way, and 30 minutes to Danville the other way. And guess what!!! The owner says it is haunted. They will smell a freshly lit cigar in the bathroom, which used to be the back porch. They will hear leather shoes walking across the tile floor at 2 A.M. Makes me really want this house! Located on .50 acres in Reidsville, North Carolina. Three bedrooms, one bathroom, and 2,100 square feet. $125,000
From the Zillow listing:
Italianate Gothic Historic Home Jennings-Baker House is a historic home located at Reidsville, Rockingham County, North Carolina. It was built about 1888, and is a two-story, three bay, solid masonry dwelling with vernacular Gothic and Italianate style design elements. It has symmetrical two-story, five-sided projecting bays and two-tier hip roofed porch on the front facade.[2]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
What I Love About The Home
It’s the perfect blend of unpretentious elegance and a rustic urban farm. Reidsville is a charming town. This part of North Carolina is as close to CT as I have ever seen. Here we have a lot less snow, shorter winter and yet we still have lilacs in the spring! Most everything in town is within 2 to 5 miles of the driveway. Greensboro and Danville are 30 minutes in either direction. Sitting in the back yard you have no idea you live in town. There is an innate serenity to the property and the house. And yes we do enjoy the occasional visit from some of the former residents… moving about the house and property…. old leather shoes moving across the tile floor at 2 a.m. or the smell of a freshly lit cigar in the bathroom which was once the back porch off the dining room. The 30’x32′, steel frame greenhouse has a block base. There is a 8’x12′ barn used for my goats and a 20’x10′ storage barn. Both are Amish made with metal roves and lofts. The woodshed is 3′ deep x 13′ long. Selling it as a fixer-upper. The facing came off the back of the second story and squirrels got in and damaged the wiring in the ceiling of the purple bed room. All 22 windows need to be replaced. Some sooner than others. Only one of the five fireplaces have been plumed for gas logs. They are coal burning style. They’re in the three bedrooms, the library and the living room. The front porch and balcony need to come off and be replaces. They are not original. Even with all that needs to be done it is still a beautiful historic home.
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