In the early 1940s, Beatrice Borders, a third-generation African American midwife, converted her home into a maternity shelter. The Williams Nursing Home, located in Camilla, Georgia, was named after her mother. According to records, up to 6,000 Black babies were born at home.
Beatrice Borders was born in the year 1892. Around 1918, she began delivering babies. She would go from house to house delivering babies until she could afford to buy the nursing home. Patients came from miles away to see Dr. Williams. Mothers stayed at the facility for three days after giving birth and were treated as if they were in a hospital. At any given time, up to four patients could be recovering or giving birth at home. A nearby doctor was on call if there were any problems with a patient’s birth.
Midwives were licensed by the state in the early twentieth century. Midwives in Georgia were required to pass a test administered by the Georgia Health Department. Furthermore, women who planned to give birth with a midwife had to get a ‘thumbs up’ from a doctor, usually in their seventh month of pregnancy.
Borders decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, who both delivered babies in the local community. However, working conditions for young mothers were not ideal at the time. Many women gave birth in shacks, while others gave birth in cotton fields, tobacco barns, and insect-infested homes. Due to a lack of transportation, pregnant women were frequently unable to get to a safe place to give birth. Borders continued to deliver babies despite the filthy conditions of her living quarters.
The Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home charged between $25 and $55 for delivery, but no one was refused because of a lack of funds. Borders also accepted barter payments, despite the fact that she was in debt to keep the house running. The birthing room, recovery room, office, nursery, laundry room, and a side entrance for the mothers were all available at the facility. The Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home remained operational until its closure in 1971, the same year Borders died. Borders was named one of the city’s top entrepreneurs. While many of the items in the facility remain, the facility has been abandoned, with the city of Camilla hoping to restore it.
The house is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is currently awaiting National Register of Cultural Heritage recognition and inclusion in women’s history. The facility was nominated for inclusion in the registry by Jacquelyn Briscoe and Brenda Smiley.
The Georgia B. Williams Nursing Home Committee Inc. has launched a restoration project in memory of Mrs. Beatrice Borders, with the goal of saving and restoring the historic birthing home that she owned and operated. The facility will be transformed into an interactive museum and community resource center once it has been restored. In addition to teaching tours, the center intends to provide scholarships to students pursuing degrees in midwifery, nursing, or child care. The restoration will cost $300,000 dollars. City officials are concerned that if the facility is not restored quickly, it will deteriorate.