To the casual observer, the law office at the intersection of West Hancock Avenue and Chase Street might look like another commercial property. But in 1946, the Susan Building became the first Black maternity hospital in northeast Georgia. 

In his book, “A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History”, Athens historian Michael Thurmond writes that at the time, both St. Mary’s and Athens General hospitals were segregated, with the majority of hospital beds and all private rooms reserved for white patients. In the case of Athens General, the only ward for Black patients was in the hospital basement.

“Even this was an improvement over the four-room building in the backyard of Athens General, which was reserved for Black patients prior to the 1940s,” Thurmond wrote. “The structure ‘resembled a chicken coop’ that was divided into two rooms — one for men and one for women — with two beds in each room.”

Through COVID and isolation:Piedmont Athens hospital chaplains hold fast to faith

In case you missed it:The historic downtown Athens sanctuary will be remodeled and turned into an event space

Dr. Andrew Jones opened and operated the Medical Center until his retirement in 1953, when it was bought by Dr. Donnarell Green.

At the time, national maternal mortality rates were three to four times higher for Black women compared to white women, noted the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Born to a family of medical professionals, Green got his undergraduate degree from Alabama’s Talladega College in 1933 and studied medicine at Meharry Medical College in Tennessee. From there, he went on to serve as a physician in the U.S. Army in World War II. 

“I've always heard him described as being no-nonsense, quite stern, but at the same time, very kindhearted, very charitable, very humble and extremely dedicated to the medical profession and to ensuring the health of the people in his community,” said Freddrell Green, Donnarell Green's grandson.

When Donnarell Green settled in Athens in the 1940s, he made a name for himself across town. In addition to operating a private practice out of the Morton Building with many of his contemporaries, he also spent time on staff at the Athens Neighborhood Health Center, St. Mary’s Hospital and Athens General Hospital. 

However, according to Thurmond, as a Black doctor Green wasn’t allowed to admit patients at either hospital. This resulted in sometimes dangerous delays in treatment for many Black Athenians.

Enter the Susan Medical Center. 

Donnarell Green purchased the Susan Building in the 1950s for his general practice. When he wasn’t working on site, he was out on house calls from Athens to Elberton while his wife, Kathleen Green, took care of their family. 

In addition to maternal healthcare, the Susan Medical Center provided dental and emergency medical services for Black patients. 

Hope Iglehart, African American Heritage director at Historic Athens, said that where hospitals and emergency services didn't provide equitable emergency healthcare, funeral homes stepped in to fill the gap.

Iglehart’s family members got healthcare at the Susan Medical Center and her grandfather was a local mortician. 

“The hearse was the ambulance,” Iglehart said. Instead of calling for an ambulance, Black patients would call local funeral homes, who would take them to Black-owned medical practices like the Susan. Patients in surrounding counties might have had to wait hours for Dr. Green or an emergency hearse to arrive.

“The Susan building provided services that the larger public facilities were not able to provide for African Americans,” Iglehart said.

Donnarell Green III said his father treated patients at all hours of the day. The waiting room would be packed with people, and the family lived off of the food patients brought in exchange for treatment. 

“Most times he didn’t get any money from people,” Walter Allen Sr., a friend and patient, said of Dr. Green. “And he would never turn you away.”

The Medical Center closed when Dr. Green retired in 1964, but the doctor’s work didn’t end there.

“Medicine was his life,” Green III said Dr. Green continued to see patients in his home until his death in 1980. 

Thurmond got to know the Greens when interviewing the family for his book. At the time, there wasn’t a lot of documentation of African American history in Athens, so oral interviews were a large part of his research process.

After Dr. Green died, the family leased the Susan Building to Thurmond and his business partner, Janice Matthis. Thurmond continued to practice law there until 2000, when the building was returned to the Green Family.

“One of the most inspiring periods of my life was to be able to go to work there at the Susan, to restore it, and to build a law practice there,” Thurmond said. “We realize that even though we were lawyers, we were Black professionals carrying on the tradition and the spirit of Dr. Jones and Dr. Green.”

Locations gain historical significance because of their capacity to inspire people.

“Place matters. People identify with place,” Iglehart said. “Some things are not written in textbooks — most aren’t if you're talking about African American history — so I think it's super important to have landmarks [like the Susan Medical Center].”

Today, the Susan Building houses The Green Law Firm, the joint law practice of Freddrell Green and his brother, Donnarell Green IV, and new generations of Black Athenians have joined the ranks of local healthcare practitioners.

“It's a legacy that transcended generations,” Thurmond said. “There's still a sense of pride that I feel when I ride by the [Susan building], even to this day."