Williams Lake was a real place. The pavilion was located in the Mingo Community of Sampson County, North Carolina. Mr. Clayton Williams ran the facility from 1932 to 1965. He started with a deisel powered generator to produce power for the jukebox as there was no electicity in Sampson County at the time.

Robert Honeycutt, who had worked for Mr. Williams, operated the dance hall from 1965 to New Years Eve 1969. That was the heyday of "The Lake." Honeycutt made it suceessful by bringing in bands to entertain the faithful.

It had other later operators in the early Seventies before closing for good. Time and nature have relentlessly attacked the pauvilion. Water drained after the dam broke during an assault by a hurricane. As of the the summer of 2008, the pavilion was reduced to rumble. There will be no more dancing on water at Williams Lake.