• By Sue deGuzman
• Posted Thursday, June 20, 2024

Delve into History: Lewisville's Williams Family Distillery

The Williams Family history in the Yadkin Valley goes back to 1766 when Col. Joseph Williams was given a land grant of 8,000 acres along the Yadkin River. He established the Williams Family Distillery in 1768 and in 1772, married Rebekah Lanier. Shortly thereafter he built the Panther Creek home and plantation.

War, fire, prohibition, and generations brought change to the business, home and property. Donna Williams will share her family's story and its whiskey business that has influenced the Yadkin Valley area and beyond to this day.

Lewisville Historical Society Presents ... is a bimonthly program of the Lewisville Historical Society and the Lewisville Branch Library. It is free and open to the public. Participants do not need to be members of the society to attend. The group meets at the Mary Alice Warren Community Center in Lewisville.

A short business meeting of the society is held before the featured program. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, contact the Lewisville Branch Library at 336-703-2940 or the Lewisville Historical Society at 336-766-5842.

Unlocking the Legend: History of the Williams Family Distillery
Monday, July 8 at 6 p.m.
Mary Alice Warren Community Center
7632 Warren Park Drive, Lewisville, NC 27023

Captions (l to r): Col. Joseph Williams (1748-1827); A portion of an image of whiskey bottles that were the product of the Old Nick Williams Company; Illustration by Mary B. Graves of the Panther Creek Home, which was located a mile from the Yadkin River. Source for Images: Merrikay Everett Brown and Darla Morgan Johnson in association with the Lewisville Historical Society, Images of America: Lewisville. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.

All Forsyth County Public Library programs are free and open to the public.