The home at 1012 Main Street was built in 1897 for tobacconist Thomas Spencer Williamson, son of Elbert Williamson for whom 137 Holbrook Avenue was built.
Thomas was born in Charlotte, Virginia in 1865. In 1876, the family moved to Danville and were living on Union Street by the time of the 1880 Census. Thomas married Annie Hickey daughter of yet another Danville tobacco baron in 1891. Six years later, and having followed his father into the tobacco trade, he purchased the lot on Main Street and commissioned the home to be built. Mr. Williamson’s prosperity came as a result of his work as an independent leaf tobacco dealer and established the firm of T.S. Williamson & Co. The couple had three children, the youngest just nine when Mrs. Williamson passed in 1907. Ten years later, Mr. Williamson married again. Mary Dodson Richmond, nearly twenty years her husband’s junior, was born in Wake County, North Carolina in 1884. Mr. Williamson and his new wife had four children together.
As well as serving more than once as the president of the Danville Tobacco Association, Mr. Williamson was a member of the Danville School Board and one of the original organizers of the Y.M.C.A.. His tobacco firm, which was begun by his father in 1878 remained in operation for 74 years.
On a balmy July day in 1945, Mr. Williamson was sitting on his front porch when he began to feel pains in his chest and in his arm. Fatigued by the heat, he went upstairs to lie down and succumbed to a heart attack just moments later.
Mary, known affectionately as Miss Dot, remained in the home until her death in 1984. By the time the house was sold, in 1986, it had fallen into a state of neglect. Lois Mumford purchased the home and immediately replaced the leaking roof. It was also during her residence that the wiring was updated, as well as the wallpapers, paint, and decor. After Ms. Mumford, the Barbours owned the home, finishing the restoration begun by the previous owner which included a total kitchen remodel, this in preparation of their running the home as a bed-and-breakfast. They named the home the Golden Leaf Inn, and during its short foray in the business of hospitality, it became the temporary resting stop for many visitors to Danville.
In 1996, the home was purchased by Drs. Franklin and Dugan Maddux who had started a internet provider business out of their home in Pittsylvania County. As the business grew and expanded, the couple found it necessary to find larger facilities, and so they moved into town. The couple chose to paint the house the colors associated with the Gamewood logo, dark green and soft yellow. An original outbuilding, once used to house servants, housed the business’s electronic systems, allowing the historic nature of the house itself to remain undisturbed. Gamewood, maintained its headquarters here for nine years and are now located in a large, dedicated facility on Deer Run Road. The home changed hands a couple more times until it was finally acquired by its present owners Phillip and Fran Baughman who are dedicated to preserving this valuable Danville landmark.
