Tag Archives: Rome

-Georgia, National Register of Historic Places, Theaters

Desoto Theatre of Rome, Georgia

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The DeSoto Theatre, which opened on August 5, 1929, was the first Southern theater built for “talkies.” Designed by O.C. Lam and modeled after the Roxy Theatre in New York, it featured modern amenities at a cost of over $100,000. After closing as a cinema in 1982, Rome Little Theatre transformed the space into a performance venue by adding a stage, orchestra pit, and new seating. In 2008, the Historic DeSoto Theatre Foundation was established, and the theater was deeded to the Foundation to preserve and maintain the historic building.

-Georgia, Houses

Folk Victorian Farmhouse-Rome, Georgia

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Built in the 1870s, the home was recently sold. Images from the listing can be seen on Old House Dreams.

-Georgia, Houses, National Register of Historic Places

The Claremont House of Rome, Georgia

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Stranger Things fans will recognize this as The Creel House, but its real name is The Claremont House. Located in Rome, Georgia, the Claremont House was built in 1882. The Second Empire home with Gothic Revival elements was constructed for Hamilton Yancey, a prominent local attorney and businessman, and his wife, Florence.

For more photos, visit The Old House Life’s post on the home.

1985 image from the National Register of Historic Places application
-Georgia, Houses

Wilkins-Nettles House-Rome, Georgia

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This Italianate house is located in the East Rome Historic District. Built in 1890, an addition was added in the 1960s. It’s been abandoned for a while, but it was recently purchased, and renovations have started on it.

-Georgia, Cemeteries, 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.
-Georgia, Cemeteries, 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.