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There’s no doubt that the buildings and houses in Opelika’s historic district have many stories to tell. From the Civil War to desegregation, the area has been in the heart of many events that have shaped our nation.

The house now known as the Darden Wellness Center is no exception. Recently renovated, it was originally the home of the area’s first African-American physician, J.W. Darden when he built it in the early 20th century. Originally from North Carolina, Darden was one of more than a dozen siblings. Though his family wasn’t wealthy, he completed high school and went onto college and medical school, accomplishments that were almost unheard of just before the turn of the last century.

Darden moved to Opelika in 1904 and began practicing in the area. Because of segregation, African-Americans weren’t admitted to the local hospital, so Darden would use his home as a makeshift clinic, taking patients into his home.

The home saw a great variety of visitors, in addition to the patients he saw to friends like George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, the house was often filled with children. Although he and his wife, Muad Jean Logan, never had children of their own, they loved children and Maud would teach manners and piano lessons, and often taught Sunday school. Her piano remains in the house today.

Before desegregation, when the African-American high school merged with Opelika High School, it was named after Darden. When Darden died in the 1950s, his house went into disrepair. Near complete devastation, Darden High School alumni stepped in. Refusing to see it crumble to the ground, the group, led by Evon Brown Phillips, who Darden delivered when she was born, set up the Darden Foundation.

Using the funds they gathered, the house was renovated to become the Darden Wellness Center. Located at 1323 Auburn St., the building has now come full circle and offers wellness clinics the third Friday of each month on various topics such as heart health and blood pressure. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., parish nurses and physicians from East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) work with patients at the Darden Center. Parish nurses are EAMC employees who are given paid hours to do volunteer work. In addition to their work at the Darden Center, they visit local beauty and barber shops and administer blood pressure and blood sugar screenings. “For a lot of the people who come to the Darden Center, transportation may be an issue, and if this is in the neighborhood, it’s more accessible,” explained Lee Wilkins, director of community relations at EAMC.

“It’s really the purpose of everyone involved to be able to help people who may not have access to healthcare avoid a health crisis,” Wilkins continued. “It allows the nurses and physicians to give them the tools on how to stay healthy and to refer them when they’re not.”

Cardiologist Michael Williams will be available at the next clinic, which will be held Friday, April 17, 2009, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, contact Lee Wilkins at lee.wilkins@eamc.org or 334-528-5894.