S. Clay Williams’ Family Visits WinMock Barn; Bermuda Run, NC
With each new story or snippet of history we receive about grand old WinMock, it’s as if we’re reading a new chapter in the barn’s storied life. I have to admit that has become one of my favorite parts of our renovation project and with over eighty years to pull from, I’m looking forward to more stories that are sure to come.
That being said, you can only imagine how excited we were to receive a call a few months ago from Margaret Williams, granddaughter of original WinMock owner S. Clay Williams Sr.
During her last visit to the area, her family had driven by their grandfather’s old barn and by chance they read an article in The Winston Salem Journal the following day about Sterling Event’s plan to turn the barn into a special events center for weddings, corporate meetings and social events.
Her father, Dr. S. Clay Williams, who currently resides in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the son of S. Clay Williams, former president of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company. Dr. Williams remembers playing in the barn as a young boy in the 1930s and was intrigued to see the barn in its current state.
Along with his daughters Margaret (far left below) and Jackie (far right below), he recently joined us on a beautiful Spring day at WinMock to tour the old barn, share a little history and much to our delight, reminisce a little about days gone by.
Here are a couple of photos from their visit, courtesy of our good friend and photographer Tom McCulloh.
Dr. S. Clay Williams, Jr. stands in front of the WinMock Barn in Bermuda Run, North Carolina. His father was the original owner of the barn, built in the late 1920s.
Dr. Williams visited his father's old property with daughters, Margaret (far left) and Jackie (far right).
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My uncle Roy Smith was an employee on Mr. Williams Win-Mock Farms until Mr. William’s death in 1949. As a young preteen in the 1940’s I looked forward to spending a week on the farm with my aunt and uncle.. I caught many pigeons in the loft of the barn pictured.I attended the auction of the farm and Uncle Roy purchased several lots on which he built a small house. As an employee, he lived in one of Mr. William’s houses which was on the corner of US 158 and highway 801. I believe that a CVS drugstone sits where Roy had his garden. A boyhood friend, Bill Satterfield, developed Burmuda Run. I am now a part owner/investor of CBL Properties which owns some 87 malls in 27 states. We own the Hanes Mall in Winston-Salem. I would like to exchange stories with Dr. Williams and his family.