A sprawling north Georgia college campus nicknamed 'Scary Berry,' where Oak Hill — founder Martha Berry's former home — hosts annual Haunted History Tours.
2277 Martha Berry Hwy NW, Rome, GA 30165
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Campus grounds are publicly accessible; Haunted History Tours at Oak Hill are ticketed — see website for seasonal pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Large campus with paved roads and walking paths; Oak Hill museum has accessible entry
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1902 · Martha Berry — Founder, 1902 · Ford Complex — Henry Ford Patronage, 1920s-1930s · Oak Hill — Martha Berry's Home and Museum · One of the Largest College Campuses in the World by Acreage
Martha Berry founded what would become Berry College in 1902, establishing a school for local mountain children who otherwise had little access to education. The institution grew substantially over the following decades, eventually becoming a four-year liberal arts college. Berry died in 1942, leaving behind Oak Hill, her family estate on the campus grounds, which is now maintained as a house museum.
The Ford Complex, whose Gothic Revival buildings were largely funded by Henry Ford during his support of Berry's work in the 1920s and 1930s, gives the campus its distinctive visual character. Berry College is frequently cited as one of the largest contiguous campus properties in the world by acreage.
Ford Hall, within the Ford Complex, is associated in campus tradition with the death of a student during World War II — a young woman who, according to accounts documented in local sources, died following the news of her boyfriend's death in combat. Morton-Lemley Hall, a residential building, is associated in campus lore with a former house mother named Ruth whose presence is reportedly felt by residents. These stories have been recounted and refined across student generations without independent historical verification in available sources.
Sources
Berry College's size — expansive enough that encountering no other person in a Gothic stone corridor is entirely plausible — gives the campus an atmosphere that has fed generations of student lore. The collective reputation earned it the informal nickname 'Scary Berry.'
Oak Hill, Martha Berry's former home and now a museum, is the most formally documented site. Berry College's own news coverage of its annual Haunted History Tour notes the house's association with Berry's spirit, presenting these legends as part of the museum's seasonal programming. Coosa Valley News coverage in 2024 confirms the tours have continued with specific narrative stops at campus locations.
Ford Hall is linked in campus tradition to a student who died following news of her boyfriend's death in World War II. Morton-Lemley Hall, a residential building, carries an oral tradition about a former house mother named Ruth said to linger in the building. Regional aggregator sources mention a 'Green Lady' apparition on campus, though this figure is not corroborated in independent sources reviewed for this entry.
Notable Entities
Berry College occupies one of the largest contiguous college campuses in the world. Visitors can walk or drive through the grounds, including the historic Ford Complex and the area around Oak Hill.
Annual ticketed tours at Oak Hill — Martha Berry's former home — featuring docent-led stops at locations tied to campus legends, including Ford Hall and Morton-Lemley Hall. Offered seasonally in October.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Macon, GA
Built between 1855 and 1859 for businessman William Butler Johnston at a cost of approximately $100,000, the Italian Renaissance Revival mansion at 934 Georgia Avenue has been called the 'Palace of the South' and is a National Historic Landmark. The Felton family held it through the Civil War period; Confederate general Henry Gray Felton occupied it during the war. The Hay family acquired the house in 1926 and donated it to The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in 1977.
Indianapolis, IN
Hannah House is an 1858 Italianate mansion at 3801 Madison Avenue on the south side of Indianapolis, built by Alexander Hannah, an Indiana businessman who returned wealthy from the California Gold Rush. The property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Charles City, VA
Benjamin Harrison IV built the current mansion at Berkeley Plantation in 1726, making it the oldest three-story brick structure in Virginia. The plantation became the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison in 1773 and the ancestral seat of a family that produced a signer of the Declaration of Independence and two U.S. Presidents. During the Civil War, General McClellan used the mansion as his headquarters and the cellar held Confederate prisoners.