The Villa at Martha Franks Retirement Community was once owned and restored by Clyde Franks, Martha's brother. It later became part of the retirement community, a historic landmark and beacon in the city of Laurens, SC.

The National Register of Historic Places added The Williams-Ball-Copeland House in 1986. Colonel John Drayton Williams purchased the land on January 11, 1837, and built his winter townhouse between 1859 and 1861, more than 20 years later, just before the Civil War. This magnificent home, built in the Italian villa style, is the only one of its kind in this section of the country.

The house contains twelve rooms on three stories. Each of its four wings has a separate entrance. The outside walls are 3 feet thick. The interior walls are 14 inches thick. Made of brick and plaster, they serve as natural insulation from the heat and cold. Tall glass floor-to-ceiling windows on the main level help to cool the home, and bay windows in the upper tower, when opened, allow for a strong air draw for the entire house. The heart pine floors, doors, and staircases demonstrate the exquisite craftsmanship of the era. The foundation walls extend from the basement to the third floor, making the building exterior virtually fireproof. The rectangular tower that rises from the center of the house allows natural light to enter. This original design feature carried over into the construction of the retirement community nearly 120 years later.

The home sits on the highest point of the property, and two upper attics may have served as ideal spots for viewing the landscape, workers, or looking out for danger. Colonel Williams, the builder, hired Italian Artisans for unique craftsmanship seen especially in the upper moldings of the rooms. He also had many servants who did a good portion of the manual labor, including cutting the stone slabs for the back steps and making the bricks for the home, as well as the smokehouse and the summer kitchen, two separate buildings on the west side of the house.

Two prominent Laurens families occupied the home after Colonel Williams: Colonel Beaufort Watts Ball and later Mason Langston Copeland. In 1954, the Copelands moved to Main Street, and the house remained vacant for several years.

When Clyde Franks saw the lovely mansion vacant and vandalized, he bought it and worked to restore and preserve the home. When his sister, Miss Martha Linda Franks, retired from the mission field, he built her a retirement cottage on the property north of the Villa. She then embarked on her next mission in life, which was to establish a retirement community where seniors could retire with dignity and security in a Christ-centered atmosphere.

"The beauty of the Villa lies not only in its grandiose architecture but in the harmonious blend of history and nature inviting all who enter to step into a world where time seemingly stands still."

The Carl B. Smith family was the last owner of the Villa. They bought the Villa from the Franks family in February of 1973 and sold it back to SCBMA (South Carolina Baptist Ministries of Aging) in December of 1979, in design with the plan for the entire property to be part of the new Martha Franks Baptist Retirement Community here in Laurens.

The Villa has weathered the storms of war, change, vandalism, and emptiness over the years. Since the opening of the retirement community in 1985, efforts have continued to repair, weatherize, and protect her. The northern porches were enclosed and modernized to create a kitchen and bathrooms, accommodating events and social gatherings. A portrait of Colonel John Drayton Williams hangs along the main staircase. The main dining room showcases hand-painted Chinese wallpaper that missionary Martha Franks sent back home to her brother during her years in China (1925-1965).

Miss Martha Franks made several trips back to China after her retirement to acquire furniture and decor for the retirement community and the Villa itself. The Villa is a monument to the five families that have lived there. The spirit of family, determination, faith, and history resonate in her walls.