The Williams County commissioners purchased 279.75 acres in Jefferson Township as a site for the Williams County Infirmary and farm. In 1874 Williams County constructed this two-story, 104- by 45-foot brick infirmary or “poor house” on County Road 16 north of County Road I.50. Cultivating crops and raising livestock on the surrounding farm helped offset the infirmary’s operating costs. In 1894, the Bryan Press newspaper reported, “The infirmary building is a commodious, well built, two-story and basement brick structure, heated by four large furnaces. It has every convenience for the comfort of inmates. There are three large barns and other outbuildings, and a brick building erected a few years ago containing a number of cells or iron cages in which to place inmates who may be insane or inclined to be ugly. There are at present 43 inmates, most of whom were seen by the writer. All who were seen seemed contented with their condition. They are well fed and well cared for in every way.” In 1966 Hillside Nursing Home (now part of Hillside Country Living) was built to replace the infirmary; the 103-year-old historic structure was razed in 1977. This vintage image of the Williams County infirmary is from the 1874 Illustrated Historical Atlas of Williams County.
