Nancy Reid House
(ca. 1890)
The Nancy Reid House has served as a beloved symbol of the Town of Matthews for more than a century.
134 W John St, Matthews, NC 28105
The center of Matthews’ business district is home to an 1890 late Victorian/Queen Anne style cottage that has served from its prominent site as a cherished and widely regarded trademark of the town for more than a century. Built by Edward Solomon Reid, the house was purchased several years later by Thomas Neely Reid and his wife. The house remained in the Reid family until 1987 when the property was transferred to the Matthew Historical Foundation for safekeeping for the enjoyment and education of future generations.
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Edward Solomon Reid (1864-1934) was born in the Providence township of Mecklenburg County, the son of Jeremiah Solomon Reid, a prominent political figure who served in county offices as well as the state legislature. Educated at the Bryant and Stratton Business College in Baltimore, Maryland, Edward lived in Matthews for a time, where he partnered with Everard Jefferson Heath to operate the Heath and Reid General Store on North Trade Street. Edward then moved to Charlotte, where he became a partner in a highly successful cotton and yarn brokerage firm and served as an alderman and member of the school board. His first marriage to Nancy J. Alexander, with whom he had four children, ended when Nancy died of tuberculosis in 1898. He later married Junius P. Woodall of Charlotte.
In 1889, Edward and Nancy received the West John Street property from Edward’s grandparents, W. W. and M. M. Grier, to build their home. About 1893, the house was sold to Edward’s sister, Ellen E. Reid (1867-1917), who was married to Dr. Thomas Neely Reid (1868-1946). Born in the Sharon township of Mecklenburg County, Dr. Reid attended Davidson College and the University of Virginia, completing his medical studies at the University of the City of New York. For over fifty years, Dr. Reid practiced medicine from the West John Street cottage, making house calls by horse and buggy (and later, automobile) across a wide area that encompassed parts of Mecklenburg, Union, and Cabarrus counties, parts of South Carolina, and even Camp Greene, Charlotte’s World War I U.S. Army training facility. One of the couple’s two daughters, Nancy Alexander Reid (1898-1986), was born and lived her entire life in the house. She retired as a teacher from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system after a twenty-eight-year career.