A little about us
We are Bonny and Clarence Clayborn, owners of Whippoorwill House, LLC.
Bonny is a South Carolina native, born and raised right here in the heart of the state. Clarence was born in Ohio but moved to South Carolina in his teenage years. Before moving his family would frequently visit South Carolina during the summertime. Together they have three children and now have five grandchildren.
Our story
My(Bonny’s) granddaddy, Henry Elton Gartman, purchased 72 acres of land located at 72A Pine Plains Road from the Lexington County Court House steps during a Tax Sale Auction on June 10, 1939. In front of the county Sheriff, H. Cromer Oswald, my granddaddy two days later signed the official land deed on June 12, 1939, for the sum of Sixty-one and 96/100 ($61.96) as listed on the deed. The land was defaulted by the Reverend R.G. Lawrence for only $61.96. My granddaddy, “Pa” as he was called, gladly paid the official sum against my Grannymaws wishes as she stated she’d never live so far away from town. On this property there was a small block one room house that had no running water or a bathroom. However, conveniently there was an out-house and a hand pump well for water. Again, not my Grannymaws cup of tea so to speak. Pa would come briefly stay at the “Farm” as his family called it back then and he would sit out and listen to the nightly sounds of the Whippoorwill. The Whippoorwill is a medium sized bird that is a member of the nightjar family that is mainly found in the southeastern United States. It makes the most beautiful call, but only at night. He loved this peaceful sound so much, he began calling this acreage, Whippoorwill Hollow.
In 1991, my parents, Raymond Baron Lee and Janice Ion Gartman Lee built a two story, four-bedroom, 3340 square foot house on the Whippoorwill Hollow property that was obtained from my Grannymaw’s estate. My Grannymaw’s name by the way, Thelma Miller Gartman Harnage Oswald. What a beautiful soul she was too.
Through the decades, the 72 acres of the unofficial name “Whippoorwill Hollow” was split into different parcels and sold off by several family members. After the death of my mother, Janice Ion Gartman Lee in November 2012, Bonny Jean Lee Clayborn and Clarence Edward Clayborn purchased from her three sisters their shares of this property which included 4 acres of land that the Whippoorwill House stands. At that time, the name “Whippoorwill Hollow” was officially recorded on the land deed with the County of Lexington, South Carolina. Speeding forward to March of 2023, it was decided to renovate the house into a Bed and Breakfast style boarding house for mainly Traveling Nurses or short-term boarding for out of state travelers seeking short term boarding for employment purposes. Hence the name Whippoorwill House, LLC.
Our approach
Our vision is to stand as the foremost provider of comfortable, clean, and safe housing solutions, consistently delivering exceptional services.
Whippoorwill House LLC. 