Dozens of people born at Holmes Memorial Hospital between 1936 and 1958 returned to Foley on April 27 to celebrate the legacy of Baldwin County's first hospital and the people who made it possible.

The Holmes Medical Museum, once a bustling second-floor hospital at the corner of Laurel Avenue and McKenzie Street, hosted the reunion for so-called "Holmes babies" and their families. Operated by Dr. W.C. "Buddy" Holmes and his wife, Philomene, a nurse, the hospital delivered roughly 300 babies during its 22 years of service.

Former Foley Mayor and retired Baldwin County Probate Judge Tim Russell was among those born at the hospital.

"So many of you have come back," Russell told the audience. "That shows your love for this hospital and your love for the city of Foley. We can't thank you enough. We know what it means to all of you, because it's just been so significant in the development of not just Foley, but Baldwin County. This was Baldwin County's first hospital. Baldwin County would not be what it is today if it hadn't been for the Holmes family coming in those early years and starting this hospital."

Others shared memories that reflected both the hospital's importance and the Holmeses' compassion. Harold Leon Givens of Silverhill, born at the hospital in 1942, returned to the facility as a young boy after losing part of two fingers in an accident.

"She looked at me and said 'we're going to have to take those fingers off,'" Givens said. "I was tongue tied and couldn't talk, but I finally said 'Mrs. Holmes. I don't want my fingers cut off, the rest of the fingers.' And she said, 'it's going to give you problems if I don't take them all the way off down here.'"

Holding up his hand to the crowd, Givens said, "Well, I do have trouble, but I can put up with trouble because I've still got my fingers."

Like many rural families of the era, the Givens family struggled to afford medical care. His father settled the bill by offering eggs, chickens and produce from their garden.

"My dad said 'this is the way I take care of my bill with Dr. Holmes, these eggs and these vegetables are why you're able to get taken care of so well,'" Givens said.

He described the Holmeses as generous and deeply kindhearted, always providing medical care to anyone who needed help.

"I tell you one thing, and I'm going to say this coming from the heart of my heart, if anybody ever made it to heaven, Dr. and Mrs. Holmes, they made it to heaven," Givens said. "They were so good and they loved everybody."

Broox Holmes Jr., grandson of the hospital's founders, thanked attendees for preserving his grandparents' memory and the facility they created.

"We are very honored to be a part of this today, and even more honored at what's been done with this old hospital and how it is today," Holmes said.

"We are very honored to be a part of this today, and even more honored at what's been done with this old hospital and how it is today," Holmes said.

The Holmes Memorial Hospital closed in 1958 following the opening of South Baldwin Hospital, where Dr. Holmes served as chief medical officer. For decades, the old hospital remained mostly untouched.

"When they moved out, they didn't do anything at all except take the furniture that they needed," Yonge said. "So this hospital was intact, virtually intact, when we came upon the idea of starting a museum."

Yonge credited the community and the Kaiser family for rallying around the project.

"We started with an idea," Yonge said. "The Kaiser family helped out a bunch and kept it going. Sydney Kaiser particularly, and Anthony. But the most important thing I want to say is that the city of Foley did this, Y'all did it, and you kept it going. I haven't been here in 10 years and it's looking better than I've ever seen it. It's an amazing thing what you've done."

The Holmes Medical Museum officially opened in 2001 and is operated by the South Baldwin Museum Foundation. The museum is seeking photographs and stories about those born or treated at the hospital to expand its records.

Bill Swanson, chairman of the foundation, said the reunion highlighted the hospital's place in Foley's shared memory.

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see everyone here, all of our guests, the people associated with the foundation and the museum, and of course, anybody that was born in the hospital or delivered by one of the staff at their home or on the farm," he said.

The Holmes Medical Museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free.