The Mary Gay House is a historic house at 716 West Trinity Place in downtown

Decatur, Georgia Decatur is a city in, and the county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, which is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. With a population of 24,928 in the 2020 census, the municipality is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple ZIP Codes in ...

. It was the home of

Mary Ann Harris Gay Mary Ann Harris Gay (March 18, 1829 – November 21, 1918) was an American writer and poet from Decatur, Georgia, known for her memoir ''Life in Dixie During the War'' (1897) about her life in Atlanta in the American Civil War, Atlanta during t ...

, who moved there with her mother and sister about 1850. She and her sister lived there during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and afterwards. The house was built approximately 1850 (though the Junior League of Decatur claims it was built about 1820) and is one of the few extant pre-Civil War buildings in the area. The house was entered into the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP) on May 6, 1975. It is now named "716 West" and is used as a wedding/event venue.

History

The house has been moved at least twice. In the early twentieth century, it was moved eastward and oriented to face Marshall Street. While still at this location (524 Marshall St.), it was listed on the NRHP. In the late 1970s development in Decatur threatened the structure. While it originally was located on "several acres" of land, by 1979 the house was on a 100 foot by 200 foot (1,800 square meters) lot, bordered mostly by businesses and accessible only by a narrow street with no nearby parking. The Junior League of

DeKalb County DeKalb County may refer to one of several counties in the United States, all of which were named for Baron Johan DeKalb: * DeKalb County, Alabama * DeKalb County, Georgia * DeKalb County, Illinois * DeKalb County, Indiana * DeKalb County, Missouri ...

preserved the structure by arranging to have it moved to its current location at 716 West Trinity Place. This location was less than a mile away in Adair Park and immediately adjacent to the historic

Swanton House The Swanton House is a historic building in downtown Decatur, Georgia and is one of a very few pre-Civil War buildings in the area which are still standing. It was entered into the National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1978. Histo ...

(which had also been moved). The group also successfully petitioned the NRHP for the Gay house to retain its historic status after the move. Since restoration, the basement of the house has been used as the headquarters for the Junior League. The house is operated as an event facility for receptions, parties, weddings, and similar events. In 2022, because Mary Gay is considered a "Confederate heroine" the Junior League voted to rename their headquarters and wedding venue "716 West".

References

External links

716 West website

Mary Gay House
historical marker with photos {{National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places in DeKalb County, Georgia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) Decatur, Georgia

History

See also

References

External links