Established 1857 atop one of Rome's seven hills, the final resting place of 20,000 including First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson and 377 Civil War soldiers—site of the annual 'Murder, Mystery and Mayhem' cemetery tour
N Broad Street & E 5th Avenue, Rome, GA 30161
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Cemetery grounds free and open to the public. Annual 'Where Romans Rest' cemetery tour ticketed through the Greater Rome CVB; check romegeorgia.org for pricing and schedule.
Access
Limited Access
Hillside cemetery with paved and unpaved paths; significant elevation change from base to hilltop
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1857 · National Register of Historic Places · Burial site of Ellen Axson Wilson, First Lady of the United States (died 1914) · 377 Civil War soldiers interred · Annual 'Where Romans Rest' heritage cemetery tour by Greater Rome CVB
Myrtle Hill Cemetery was laid out in 1857 on a prominent rise above the confluence of the Etowah and Oostanaula rivers, which form the Coosa at Rome. The site was chosen deliberately for both its view and its elevation above the commercial and residential districts below.
The cemetery's most nationally significant burial is Ellen Louise Axson Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson and First Lady from 1913 until her death in the White House in 1914 from Bright's disease. Born in Savannah and raised in Rome, she was returned to her hometown for burial upon her death. The grave remains a pilgrimage destination for Wilson-era history researchers and White House historical visitors.
Myrtle Hill also holds 377 Civil War soldiers, primarily Confederate dead from the conflicts that swept northwest Georgia, including the campaigns leading to the Battle of Atlanta. A U.S. senator is among the notable interments, along with local figures significant to Floyd County's political and commercial history.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places, the cemetery is operated by the City of Rome and maintained as both a working burial ground and a heritage tourism destination. The Greater Rome CVB has for many years organized the 'Where Romans Rest' tour series, which features the 'Murder, Mystery and Mayhem' programming as its most popular offering — a living history production using the grounds at night with costumed interpreters portraying historical figures.
Sources
Reports of paranormal activity at Myrtle Hill cluster around two recurring figures. The first is described as auditory: visitors near the Civil War grave section have reported hearing voices and sounds that they characterize as the cries of soldiers, particularly after dark. The concentration of 377 military dead — most killed in the campaigns for northwest Georgia — gives the section a historical weight that has long drawn paranormal investigators and storytellers.
The second recurring account involves a woman in white observed moving through the cemetery. Local tradition holds that she is searching for a man who did not return from the war. The 'Lady in White' is a common figure in Southern cemetery folklore, but the Myrtle Hill version is specific enough in its repetition across decades of visitor accounts that it has become codified in Rome tourism materials.
The Rome Office of Tourism has incorporated the cemetery's darker history into formal programming — the 'Murder, Mystery and Mayhem' component of the 'Where Romans Rest' tour specifically highlights murders and suspicious deaths from Rome's history, using the cemetery as a stage for theatrical historical presentations. This institutionalization of the cemetery's dark history distinguishes it from sites where the paranormal reputation is purely informal.
Notable Entities
Walk the hilltop grounds visiting notable graves including First Lady Ellen Axson Wilson, 377 Civil War soldiers, a U.S. senator, and the grave of Romulus (for whom the city is named). Panoramic views of the seven hills of Rome are accessible from the hilltop. A printed walking guide is available through the Rome Office of Tourism.
Annual October tour organized by the Greater Rome CVB. Costumed interpreters portray historical figures buried in the cemetery, including segments focused on murder cases and mysterious deaths in Rome's history. One of the region's most popular heritage tourism events.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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