Williams, Georgia, Nursing Home
Also known as: Borders, Beatrice, House
Why it's listed
Built around 1935 in the historically Black neighborhood of Camilla known as "the Hill," this front-gabled Craftsman bungalow looks much like its neighbors from the street. Inside, the rear was altered around 1941 to hold a delivery room, recovery rooms, a nursery and a separate side lobby, while the front rooms stayed a private home. Midwife Beatrice Borders ran a state-licensed birthing center here and named it for her mother, Georgia Williams, who taught her the trade. Between about 1941 and 1971 she and her assistants delivered more than 6,000 babies, mostly for African-American women who had few other options during segregation. Fees were modest, and she accepted farm goods as payment. The property is considered important for its role in Black heritage, health care, social history, commerce and women's history. It later served as a daycare until 2004, and the working layout of the birthing center largely survives.
Significance in brief: It is described as a rare, possibly the only surviving, black-owned birthing center in Georgia from the Jim Crow era, and the only known one serving African-American women in southwest Georgia. It is tied to midwife and entrepreneur Beatrice Borders, who delivered over 6,000 babies there. It is also significant for black ethnic heritage, health/medicine, social history, commerce and women's history.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000180, listed April 8, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 176 Dyer St, Camilla |
|---|---|
| County | Mitchell County |
| Listed | April 8, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000180 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | C. 1941-1971 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Bungalow (Craftsman) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Black, Health/Medicine, Other, Social History, Commerce |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a childcare center from 1972 to 2004, then mainly for storage; the interior layout from the nursing home era remains largely intact, and exhibits are being considered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.23663, -84.20787 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000180.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q29094880
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.