Albert Wharton Interview 2

DateJuly 22, 1980

MediumDocument

Credit LineReynolda House Museum of American Art Archives

CopyrightPublic Domain

Object numberOH.01.008.2

DescriptionAlbert Wharton was interviewed by Patty Dilley as part of the Reynolda Oral History Project. Born on November 27, 1987, Albert Wharton was the seventh of ten children in a family of tenant farmers on the property of A.C. Wharton–property that would later become part of Tanglewood, owned by R.J.’s brother, Will Reynolds. A.C. Wharton became farm superintendent at Reynolda in 1913. After he was hired, Albert Wharton along with his brothers Monroe and George “Buck” Wharton came to work at Reynolda, residing in Five Row. Albert Wharton, along with his brother Monroe, worked on the farm. Buck Wharton worked as a garage mechanic and drove the Reynolda school bus and the bus that transported workers who lived in town out to Reynolda. Buck became the chauffeur for J. Edward Johnston, Katharine Reynolds’ second husband. In the 1930s, Albert worked on the domestic staff for the Babcock family while his brothers Buck and Monroe were employed by Dick Reynolds. Throughout his interview, Wharton discusses Five Row, the Five Row school, his early job at the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, and his work at Reynolda and for the Babcock family.

ProvenanceThe Reynolda House Museum of American Art Oral History Project, established in 1980, gathered recollections from Reynolds family members and former employees, residents, and guests of the Reynolda estate. The interviews explore life at Reynolda and in Winston-Salem, N.C., during the early and mid-twentieth century, touching on the area’s socioeconomic, political, business, and cultural history. Early interviews conducted in 1980 were done by Lu Ann Jones; later interviews were conducted by museum staff.

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Not on view

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