A Tribute to Bill

The Lillian E. Smith Center on Screamer Mountain is a spiritual space. It’s a patch of land with a history deeply connected with the Civil Rights Movement. It’s a space of community and bonding, a space where humanity exists amidst the turmoil and tumult at the bottom of the mountain. I’ve been at the center for about four years now, and since my arrival, William “Bill” Watts has been a fixture on the hill. He’d be there, striking a mountain-man, Elvis pose with his shirt unbuttoned halfway down, showing his chest and a necklace. He’d be the first person to greet residents or visitors to the center, helping them get settled in, and he’d be there if they ever needed anything.

Bill grew up at the bottom of the hill. His father, Kelton, worked for Lil and her family doing maintenance work and other projects. One photo shows Kelton and Lillian planting ferns on top of the walkway between two of the cabins. Bill walked in Kelton’s footsteps, returning to Screamer Mountain after moving away for a while and working at the center long before Piedmont acquired the property. He worked with Lil’s niece Nancy Smith Fichter and her husband Robert when they turned the site of Laurel Falls Camp into an artist residency and retreat.