Williamsburg Care Center

My father built this care center in1958. I was a sophomore in high school when they broke ground. It was a scary time because Dad invested everything he had--discontinued working at the furniture store and funeral home. He believed this was the right thing to do because many care centers at this time were old, 2 story houses with the patient's bedroom upstairs with no access to the outside. Some were in terrible condition. But there no one to help him or give him any advise. There was only one newer nursing home in the state at that time and it was close to Souix City. There were NO state regulations. So he drew the plans himself, designed it in a way that he thought he could serve the needs of 48 senior citizens. It was a stressful 3 years for him, with no job, no money coming in , and not knowing how long it would take to fill enough beds to see a profit. I was raised in the big white house also in the picture. So you see, the nursing home was very much apart of our lives! I admire my dad because saw people being mistreated, was brave enough to take a risk in order to correct a wrong that society had turned their back. It was not long before nursing homes began to pop up all over the state but this care center was one of the first. It has now been torn down because it is difficult to bring an old building up to state regulations.