Winifred Babcock Interview

DateNovember 14, 1980

MediumDocument

Credit LineReynolda House Museum of American Art Archives

CopyrightPublic Domain

Object numberOH.01.012.1

DescriptionWinifred Penn Knies Babcock (1914-1985), the second wife of Charlie Babcock, was interviewed by Lu Ann Jones as part of the Reynolda Oral History Project. While Winifred was born in Madison, North Carolina, her family was originally from Patrick County, Virginia, also home to the family of R.J. Reynolds, and Winifred intersected with the Reynolds family at various points throughout her life. Winifred’s first husband Albert Sutton Knies was partner in a brokerage firm that merged with Reynolds & Co., a firm founded by Charlie Babcock; Knies later worked for Reynolds Metals. Winifred was close friends with Blitz Reynolds, the first wife Dick Reynolds. Winifred and Charlie Babcock were married in 1954. In her interview, Winifred Babcock provides a unique perspective on life at Reynolda in the 1950s and early 1960s, discussing the workers on the estate, parties held at the house, Reynolda’s transition into a public institution dedicated to the arts, and the relocation of Wake Forest University.
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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