Tag Archives: Floyd County

Cemeteries, Georgia, National Register of Historic Places

Myrtle Hill Cemetery-Rome, Georgia

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Opened in 1857, Myrtle Hill Cemetery is one of three cemeteries in Rome, Georgia, that sits on top of a hill to avoid potential flooding from nearby rivers, the Etowah and Oostanaula. The cemetery got its name from the creeping myrtle that covered the cemetery.

There were several Civil War battles in and around Rome, which necessitated the use of Myrtle Hill as a Confederate burial ground. Additionally, there were hospitals to take care of the sick and wounded, so many of those soldiers were buried in the Confederate section of Myrtle Hill.

The Tippin Angel

The cemetery consists of several plateaus (terraces) to create the layered wedding cake design of the roads and sections of the cemeteries. The highest point in the cemetery is known as Crown Point.

The Cheney Angel
The Griffin Angel
Little Mary Hardy, 1878-1879, raises her arms up to her parents, Kathryn and Samuel Hardy.
Branham marker
Hattie Bass Veal, d. 1913
Close-up of the Veal monument
Henry Woolfolk, 1893-1910
This shows some of the “layers” of Myrtle Hill. In this part of the cemetery, most of the roads are blocked because of how tight the area is for cars.
Cemeteries, Georgia, National Register of Historic Places

The Ghostly Image and Travels of Ida Bennett Bass-Rome and Atlanta, Georgia

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Ida Bennett Bass was the daughter of prominent Atlantans, Benjamin and Mary Elizabeth Bennett. She married Charles Bass, who was from a prominent Rome family. They had four children, but only one lived past infancy. During her third pregnancy, she died during childbirth while giving birth to twins. The son, Edward, died the next day, and her daughter Miriam lived another two months.

Ida’s parents refused to bury their child in Rome and brought her to Atlanta to be buried in Oakland Cemetery. One story about Ida is that her ghost will travel from Atlanta to visit her children and husband who are buried in Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Rome.

Edward Bass in Myrtle Hill Cemetery.

Another story about Ida is that when the house she lived in caught on fire, one wall was untouched. When workers went to remove a mirror, they found an image of a mother holding two infants.

Charles Bass and his second wife, Marjorie, are buried in Myrtle Hill Cemetery.

The daughter Miriam is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

Georgia, National Register of Historic Places

Old Mill at Berry College-Rome, Georgia

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Located on the campus of Berry College in Rome, Georgia, is one of the largest wooden overshot waterwheels at 42 feet in diameter. It was originally constructed in Hermitage, Georgia. Once a thriving mining town, Hermitage has essentially disappeared. Martha Berry, the founder of Berry College, convinced the landowner to allow the mill to be located on the Berry College campus. In 1930, the mill was disassembled and reassembled by Berry students.

If you’ve never visited Berry College, I highly recommend going in the fall. The guard at the entrance will ask where you are headed, and you can tell them to the mill. They should give you a campus map so you can see the campus at one of its prettiest times.

Black History, Georgia, National Register of Historic Places, Rosenwald Schools, Schools

Fairview-Brown Colored School-Cave Spring, Georgia

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Built in 1924, Fairview Brown served as the school for Black school children in Cave Springs, Georgia. After it was no longer used, the school fell into disrepair and what was left was the First Grade Classroom Building. The Georgia Trust put it on its 2011 Places in Peril List. It was listed with the National Register in 2017. Restoration was complete in 2019.