Tag Archives: Georgia Hospitals & Asylums

Gillespie Memorial Hospital, 1937, Cordele

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Dr. Augustus S. Clark, who founded the Gillespie Normal School in 1902, also sought to improve health care for Cordele’s Black community. In 1925, a gift of $1000 helped establish a hospital, named the Charles Helm Hospital for the benefactor. At the time, the nearest Black hospital was located in Americus. Mrs. Eula Burke Johnson, a graduate of Gillespie Normal School, was the first nurse. The hospital was initially located on the second floor of one of the early school buildings and consisted of two beds and an operating room. Local doctors, white and African-American, served on the staff. The hospital also trained nurses.

The present structure, pictured above, was built in 1937. It had 25 beds and was named for William Gillespie, who donated funds for its construction. Nurse Johnson served as the hospital director and held weekly clinics for midwives. The hospital served the community until the integration of Crisp Regional Hospital in the late 1960s or early 1970s.

Gillespie-Selden Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Americus Colored Hospital, 1923

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The first facility in South Georgia where black doctors, nurses, and pharmacists could train, practice, and serve people of color, the Americus Colored Hospital was established by Dr. William Stuart Prather (1868-1941), a white physician who was well aware of the health care needs of this under-served community. He bought the property and built this state-of-the-art facility, with the cooperation and contributions of the Americus Negro Business League and the Americus Junior Welfare League.

According to the Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee (ASMRC), 33 doctors, 2 dentists, 2 pharmacists, 6 registered nurses, and 18 nursing professionals were associated with the hospital. The resulting black middle class that grew out of this experiment was one of the most vibrant in the state; in fact, Americus-Sumter County had more black professionals and landowners than anywhere else in Georgia from the 1920s-1942.

Though it faced numerous difficulties, it was an important resource for the African-American community until it closed in 1953. At that time, Sumter Regional Hospital opened its doors, and because it used federal funds via the Hill-Burton Act, couldn’t discriminate by race. The act didn’t mandate desegregation, however, and Sumter Regional was racially compartmentalized. Since no black doctors were hired, much of the black middle class left Americus, resulting in a negative economic impact. The Americus Chapter of the City Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, purchased the Colored Hospital building and used it as a nursery and youth center. During the Civil Rights Movement, it also served as a Freedom School and Training Center.

Presently, it is being restored for use as the Americus Civil Rights and Cultural Center.

Several Historic Buildings to Be Demolished at Central State Hospital

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Walker Building, Built in 1874 for the convalescence of white male patients of the Georgia Lunatic Asylum.

Citing dangerous conditions and ongoing issues with trespassing, the state of Georgia plans to demolish the Walker, Jones, and Green buildings, and the wash house on the historic campus of Central State Hospital. Strangely, the old prison buildings near the cemetery, which appear to be the most dangerous structures on the property, aren’t included in the order. The governor has signed off on the demolition request from the state’s behavioral health board and work could begin as soon as this fall. The iconic Powell Building and restored depot will remain.

A spokesperson for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities told the Milledgeville Union-Recorder: “First, we understand the connection the community has with Central State Hospital and the concern community members have over the protection of the property,” DBHDD communications director Ryan King said in an email response. “DBHDD explored in-depth the alternatives on these properties. Ultimately, it was determined that demolition was the only viable option to mitigate the significant and potentially deadly risk these buildings pose to the public and to create a path for the property to be revitalized.”

“In attempts to breathe life back into the Central State Hospital campus through reinvestment and partnerships, the intention is to demolish the Wash House, Walker, Green and Jones buildings. It’s important to understand the Powell Building will remain intact and serve as a centerpiece in potential reinvestment and redevelopment plans.“

Several preservation groups have spoken out against the plan, including the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and the Atlanta Preservation Council. Milledgeville’s Convention and Visitors Bureau leads trolley tours of the property and numerous visitors pass through the grounds with cameras on a regular basis. Most of these people aren’t breaking any laws as exterior photography is allowed, but urban explorers who trespass inside these dangerous structures are the source of concern.

Old Hospital, Fitzgerald

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2008

Fitzgerald’s first general hospital was built in the late 1920s or early 1930s to replace Dr. Dudley B. Ware’s much smaller convalescent hospital on Central Avenue.

My grandmother worked here in the 1950s and my mother and father were born here. It was used by the community until 1974 when a more modern facility, Dorminy Memorial Hospital [now Dorminy Medical Center] opened. When I was growing up, the hospital housed the Cooperative Extension office and other governmental offices.

It was lost to arson in 2012.

Allen’s Invalid Home, Milledgeville

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This is one of two nearly identical structures that were later built on the site, and is the only surviving remnant of the sanitarium. From limited sources, I have preliminarily identified this as the administration building and Dr. Allen’s residence, though it has also been identified as the dining hall and women’s building.

In 1890, Dr. Henry Dawson Allen, Sr., bought the old Oglethorpe University property in the Midway community and in 1891 opened a private hospital for chronic incurable cases, likely as an alternative to the less personal care offered at the nearby State Lunatic Asylum.

Allen’s Invalid Home for the Treatment of Nervous Diseases was among the first private psychiatric institutions in the Southeastern United States. Dr. Allen was very progressive and bought up as much of the surrounding land, on which were grown a great variety of vegetables and stock for the use of the institution. Patients weren’t required to work but could if they chose to. Dr. Allen’s sons, Dr. H. D. Allen, Jr., and Dr. Edwin Whitaker Allen, Sr., eventually practiced alongside their father.

Rear of the building, showing the addition.

Abandoned Interiors of Allen’s Invalid Home

Please note that this is private property. I had permission to photograph. If you wish to photograph you may wish to make a donation to the Maranatha Mission, which oversees the property.

Jim Dixon House, 1910, Metter

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A charming white house with a green roof and porch, featuring a red door and American flags, surrounded by neatly trimmed shrubs and trees.

This home also served as Metter’s first hospital.

South Metter Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Dr. Bomar’s Hospital, 1893, + Hovas Talley House, Ohoopee

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A historic Folk Victorian house built in 1893, featuring a Queen Anne-inspired bay and a distinct winged-gable design, set against a clear blue sky. Also served as a rural hospital.

This winged-gable house has a Queen Anne-inspired bay on the front; it’s a nice example of the Folk Victorian form.

Jean Talley Fitzgibbons writes: “This home was built is 1893 by Dr. Bomar and also served as a hospital for the community. It was purchased in 1932 by Hovas & Erline Talley and remains with their family today.“

The Charm House, 1907, Clarkesville

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W. R. Asbury built this home and named it Oak Heights. Later it served as the Clarkesville hospital and was a boarding house known as the Charm House, hence its present designation. It has also been home to a bed and breakfast and a restaurant. It’s a grand Neoclassical house and sits back from Washington Street on a beautifully manicured lot.

Washington-Jefferson Street Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Stewart-Webster Hospital, 1950, Richland

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The cornerstone of the hospital is dated 1949 but I understand it wasn’t completed and occupied until 1950. It was sponsored by the Richland Lions Club and Dr. J. T. Phillips was the hospital authority chairman. This is just one of numerous rural hospitals that have closed in recent years, leaving many without accessible major medical care. The politics around the issue go back and forth, but when your county loses a hospital, that’s irrelevant. This particular hospital served two counties.

Sumter County Hospital, 1913, Americus

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A group of local women established the Americus & Sumter County Hospital Association in 1908 and after raising funds and community interest in a modern medical facility, they dedicated the Sumter County Hospital in 1913. This Prairie style landmark has been abandoned for over 60 years and is presently on the market.

Initially a 27-bed facility, it doubled in size after the addition of an annex in 1932. It was in use until a new hospital opened north of town in 1952.

Americus Historic District, National Register of Historic Places