At 215 North Gaskin Avenue sits what was once the home of the Stubbs family. The home was built in the fall of 1899 by Francis Willis Dart, who bought the lot for $150. Its architecture was designed in a Victorian style that even had a captain’s walk on top of the house. The family’s history and stories of those who lived there are interesting, impressive, and definitely worth telling.
On August 27, 1925, Dart sold the home to his nephew, Francis Seaborn Stubbs Sr. From the start of his life, it is said that Francis seemed to be destined for the spotlight. In the small town of Douglas, he was often referred to as the “Golden Boy” during his high school years and into his early twenties. It is said that Francis was very smart, had a lot of self-confidence, was charming, athletic, and quite popular. His father was a successful businessman in Douglas but Francis would become successful in his own ways.
His first glimpse of the spotlight was when he became the quarterback for the football team at the Eleventh District A&M School, what we now know as South Georgia State College. His athleticism stood out on the field, earning him a shot to play football at Georgia Tech.
It was the fall of 1916, after graduating from A&M in Douglas when Francis set off to the city of Atlanta to play football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. However, his football career in the big city lights would be short lived and only last for one quarter. Many years later, Francis recalled with a smile, “There were just too many distractions in Atlanta. I was studying chemical engineering and my father decided Auburn was the right place for me to concentrate.” It would later be proven by his outstanding football career at Auburn that his father was right. Before leaving Atlanta, Francis did participate in the now famous game between Georgia Tech and Cumberland College where Tech won the game 222-0.
Francis later became the starting quarterback at Auburn in the fall of 1918. He even received All Conference honors in 1919. It was that same year that he led the Auburn football team to win the Southern Conference Championship, what we now know as the Southeastern Conference. During that season, Francis and his teammates beat Georgia, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Tulane, LSU, and William and Lee.
With Auburn being an all boys school at the time, Francis’s father thought there would be little to no distractions for his son. Little did he know, a beautiful woman named Zelda from Montgomery would eventually capture the attention of young Francis. Zelda was a popular girl in the area and had already stolen the hearts of several young Yankee soldiers and airmen who were stationed there at the time.
What Francis didn’t know was that he had some major competition when it came to winning Zelda’s heart. His charm and charisma had to outdo the famous Great Gatsby author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Yes, you read that right. At the time, F. Scott Fitzgerald was an aspiring novelist who was madly in love with Zelda. He had recently moved to New York to pursue his writing career when he learned that Zelda had been invited to go on a date with Francis. It is no doubt that Zelda thought highly of Francis, considering she had a picture of him wearing an Auburn football jersey clipped inside of her scrapbook.
This date between Zelda and Francis was of course very concerning to Fitzgerald. In a letter to him in New York, Zelda wrote, “Sweetheart, please don’t worry about me. You know I am all yours and love you with all my heart.” Now would probably be a good time to note that courting or dating back then was very different than today’s time. Unfortunately for Francis, the star quarterback at Auburn, he would finally have to take a loss. This time, the loss wouldn’t be on the football field. Zelda would go on to marry the Great Gatsby author who eventually became one of the most famous novelists in the world and the most popular writer of his time.
After finishing up four great seasons on the gridiron and graduating from Auburn, Francis came back home to Douglas in 1920. He was establishing himself as an up and coming businessman like his father when he married his popular hometown sweetheart, Lillian Price. They had 3 children: Tom, Francis Jr., and Mary Jac. After Lillian’s death, Francis later married Evelyn Brewer. The two lived in their home on Gaskin Avenue until he died at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in 1983 after battling a long illness.
It is noted that the Stubbs family lived out a very happy life in their beautiful house. For many years, the Stubbs held a spot at the top of the town’s list for festive Christmas and New Year’s parties. We can be sure that the memories and stories of those who lived in the home sat quietly tucked behind its walls, just waiting to be told.