Even though most of the cousins on my father’s side went to A.C. Reynolds High School, they didn’t know about the person it was named for. Some thought he was connected with Reynolds Tobacco Company; others thought he was a former state senator. A few said they heard he had gotten in trouble with the law. They all said no teacher at the school had ever brought up his name. Instead of guessing or not knowing, I told them we should find out who he was.

His full name was Alonzo Carlton Reynolds. He was from the Sandy Mush section of Buncombe County. Sandy Mush is in northwest Buncombe County where Haywood and Madison Counties adjoin. It is likely the least populated township in the county and the most out of the way. Sandy Mush is a place you go to; you do not go through it to get anywhere else.

Alonzo Carlton Reynolds was born in Sandy Mush on October 19, 1870, just five years after the end of the Civil War. Times were very hard in the years following the war. He was the son of John Haskew Reynolds and Sarah Ferguson. Reynolds grew up on a farm that was almost entirely self-sufficient. He was probably five or six years old before he ever went to Asheville. Asheville was a once- or twice-a-year trip for an adult.

Children had to help with the chores from the time they could walk. The fields had to be plowed and planted. Animals had to be taken care of. Wool from sheep had to be made into cloth because they had to make their own clothes. The rich may have bought their clothes, but the poor did not. A family also had to make their shoes and blankets. Even on Sunday, animals had to be fed and cared for. There were few days off, and those were usually the cold and snowy days of winter.

A.C. Reynolds was proud of his mountain heritage. He spent his life working in the field of education. He had to walk to Sandy Mush School every day. One day, he said the snow was 36 inches deep, and when he arrived he was the only person there. Reynolds attended Weaver College and then Peabody College in Tennessee. He graduated with a teaching certificate. And then he began his 53-year career in education.

He began teaching at age 19 in a one-room schoolhouse in Sandy Mush. He had 80 students in his class from 5 to 15 years old. There were not separate classes for each grade back then. They were all in one class regardless of age or ability.

He married Nannie Elizabeth Woods (1874–1968) in 1899. She was from Orange County, NC, and was a teacher as well.

Reynolds was the president of Rutherford College from 1902–1905. It was said that he always knew what was going on at each school he taught at or was principal of. Next, he became the superintendent of Buncombe County Schools from 1905–1912. He then left Buncombe County and moved to Jackson County, where he became president of Cullowhee Normal and Industrial School (now known as Western Carolina University). His wife was in charge of the girls dormitory. Nannie also bought the supplies for the school’s kitchen, planned the meals, entertained important visitors and brought up nine children.

The Reynolds family spent part of each summer camping on Whiteside Mountain near Highlands. It is said they traveled to the mountain in two covered wagons that were pulled by mules. Once there, they would spend two weeks in two large tents. The Reynolds family would also camp in the woods near Cullowhee, and they loved to fish in the area around Jackson County.

A.C. Reynolds later served as school superintendent of Haywood County from 1920–1924, and another stint as the superintendent of Buncombe County Schools from 1926–1933. He was the president of Biltmore College (now known as UNC–Asheville) from 1933–1936. He later served as principal of several other schools in the area. He retired in 1942 and moved to his mountain cabin in McDowell County. He lived there until ill health caused him to move to his home in Arden.

Alonzo Carlton Reynolds died in 1953 in Arden. Alonzo and Nannie had nine children.

1. Mary Reynolds (1900–1966). She married a Woods.

2. Sallie Emeline Reynolds (1903–1949).

3. Alonzo Carlton Jr. (1905–1906).

4. Ruth Reynolds (1907–1966). She married a Ferguson.

5. Elizabeth Reynolds (1909–2001). She married a Wilhelm.

6. Margaret Cornelia Reynolds (1911–1915).

7. Alphonzo Curry Reynolds (1914–1945).

8. Evelyn Katherine Reynolds (1916–1975).

9. Thomas Davies Reynolds (1919–1997).

Bruce Whitaker documents Fairview-area genealogy. To get in touch with him, contact the Crier at [email protected] or
828-771-6983 (call/text).