When real estate man Edwin Ansley moved from his lavish home in Decatur to his namesake “Ansley Park” in 1909, the large plot of land at the corner of College Street and McDonough was subdivided many times over, making way for the dense neighborhood of houses we know today.

The original house still stands (sans its central tower and front porch) awkwardly off McDonough – almost as if it refuses to acknowledge its current fate – and today is most commonly referred to by Decaturites as “The Marble House”.  It’s main use these days is as office space.  (Don’t know where it is?  CLICK HERE)

I still find it hard to imagine all that open land between College and Maple Street.