For detailed information on renting the Mary Gay House for your special event, please contact Mary Gay House rental agent Kim Brookhart, 404-378-2162 or via email
. The Mary Gay House
Your special event will be held in one of the oldest houses in the Atlanta area. Built around 1820, and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, the Mary Gay House in Decatur is one of the few antebellum homes in metropolitan Atlanta that escaped Sherman's torch.
"The Mary Gay House was the perfect setting for our 75 guest wedding. The outdoor patio provided a charming backdrop to our ceremony and easily accommodated all of our guests. After the ceremony it was transformed into a cafe style reception area with a bar and light hors devours. The inside of the house is so rich in color that it requires very little decoration. We found it to be just the right fit for seating our guests, the buffet and cake tables and some dancing. The house and grounds are really a beautiful setting for pictures. We were thrilled with the house and the help we received to make our special day just that, special. We would highly recommend the The Mary Gay House to any couple planning their special day."
-Megan & Andrew Delosky
"I couldn't have asked for a better location for my wedding, everything was perfect! Thank you for a lovely venue and such a professional attitude."
-Elizabeth Pasmusson
"Kim was wonderfully helpful. Great historic atmosphere."
-Eden Landow
"Thank you! The wedding was so beautiful & went so perfectly-Kim was absolutely great to work with and I would happily reccomend the Mary Gay House to anyone! "
-Julie Scarborough
"I just wanted to thank you for all your help with my wedding preparations. The Mary Gay House was such a special place to hold the reception. It was beautiful-just as I had imagined-A perfect winter wedding. I loved the fireplaces being lit-it just made for such an elegant reception!"
-Kim Webb
"It is a lovely home and accommodated our party well. The brick patio is wonderful. It was a pleasure to work with the staff; kind and professional."
-Lynn Ranew
"The evening was a huge sucess and the teachers have been raving all morning about the lovely ambience and elegant atmosphere of the Mary Gay House!"
-St. Thomas More
The restoration of the Mary Gay House, by the Junior League of DeKalb County, Inc., included four phases:
Moving the house from Marshall Street to its present location at Adair Park in Decatur
Stabilizing the house
Preparing the basement for use as headquarters for the League
Academic restoration of the two front rooms in the Federal Period style of 1815-1830 and an adaptive restoration of the rear portion of the house to the style of 1850
This restoration project encompassed eight years of research, planning and construction. We are grateful to the previous owners for donation of the house, the City of Decatur for leasing the site at Adair Park, the business and professional community for their endorsement and support, and most especially to the members of the Junior League of DeKalb County, Inc.
Mary Ann Harris Gay
Mary Ann Harris Gay (1828-1918), a Confederate author and heroine, is best remembered for writing an eyewitness history titled Life in Dixie During the War. In this book, Mary Gay recounts a series of daring exploits, including her forays across enemy lines to secure food and clothing for women and children of war-torn Decatur. Some of the anecdotes later inspired scenes in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. Mark Twain referred to Mary Gay in Tom Sawyer, in which some of her poetry is quoted.
During the war, Mary Gay hid winter clothing in her dining room ceiling and later smuggled it to Confederate soldiers. She refused to desert her home while her land was being occupied by the enemy. Mary Gay forever regretted that she was prohibited from taking up arms herself. After her brother was killed during the war, she supported his survivors and other family members by peddling her three books door to door.
The house where this spunky Southern woman spent most of her life and where she once watched the Union attack on Decatur, has been moved, expanded and extensively renovated. Part of the original structure still stands. We hope that you will join us for your special event and create a piece of history of your very own.
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