We do not know who began this handsome home but we do know that before 1827, the cottage here was owned by a Captain Beard who (for some unknown reason) dug a trench around his property and raised a rampart. Citizens laughed and called it Beard's fortifications and teased the old man by asking when he expected to mount his cannon. The ramparts became a fashionable place for the elite of the town to take their evening strolls.

When the place was bought by the Randolph family of Virginia, it was made into the great house of today. Miss Maria Randolph is the member of this family best remembered in association with the house. She was six feet tall "and every inch a lady." Miss Randolph entertained with the greatest elegance and through the center of the house there is a grand ballroom built for cotillions. Two massive fireplaces were put here for winter balls.

The Randolph library was extensive and many priceless volumes from it remain today in private homes. The town was agog with excitement when the magnificent mahogany grand piano came for the Randolph parlor. Even the keys were mother-of-pearl.

For Many years, this was the home of the Archie (Archibald Toombs) Colley family. Colonel Colley served as a distinguished instructor in Military Science for the University of Georgia. The two Colley daughters, Kathleen and Helen, found the great ballroom ideal for a chapel when they married.

The house is now a luxurious and wonderfully decorated bed and breakfast.