Martha's Early Life
Martha Berry was born in this southern state on October 7, 1865.
Alabama
To help children who could not attend regular day school due to weather or home chores, Martha opened this type of boarding high school in 1902.
The Boys Industrial School
The first Mountain Day took place in this year to celebrate Martha Berry's birthday.
1914
This main mountain campus event involves crowds walking together in formation and dates back to a "marching drill" from 1923.
Grand March
This famous U.S. President was inspired by Martha Berry's story to visit the Berry Schools.
Theodore Roosevelt
Shortly after she was born, Martha's family moved to this local city, which became her lifelong home base.
Rome, GA
Opened in 1909 as a sister school to the Boys Industrial School, this institution catered to young women.
The Martha Berry School for Girls
The Mountain Day Olympics are held on this specific lawn on main campus.
Evans Lawn
During the Grand March, students pass by a basket to make donations, a tradition historically linked to this coin.
A penny (The Penny Drop / Penny Basket)
Along with Theodore Roosevelt, this prominent automobile industrialist was inspired to visit the schools.
Henry Ford
As a young woman living at Oak Hill, Martha loved literature and this other creative hobby.
Writing
In 1915, Martha opened a preparatory school for boys on what is known by this campus name today.
Mountain Campus
Introduced in 2005 as a student-focused Saturday night celebration, this event features carnival rides, games, and food.
Marthapalooza
All of the money collected during the Penny Drop portion of the Grand March today goes to support these for Berry students.
Scholarships
On the very first Mountain Day in 1914, over 200 students walked this many miles from main campus to mountain campus.
5 miles
This influential family member took Martha riding around their Oak Hill home, where she first witnessed local poverty.
Her father, Thomas Berry
Because the schools were designed to give students practical work experience to pay for their education, students built many of these on campus with their own hands.
Buildings / Campus Structures
Field day-type events like the egg toss and tug-o-war are part of these competitions held during Mountain Day weekend.
Mountain Day Olympics
Historically, senior women participating in the march wore this color dress, while senior men wore white.
Pastel / Light blue
Weighing in at 32 pounds, this sweet treat was a centerpiece of the birthday celebration during the first Mountain Day.
Birthday cake
Martha was in this decade of her life—a time of uncertainty where she was unmarried and living with her mother—when she encountered local children who lacked access to education.
Her mid-30s
Established in 1926 as a two-year college, this institution soon transitioned into what we know today as Berry College.
The Junior College
Inter-dormitory competitions at Berry started early, but this year marked when classes began being cancelled on the Friday afternoon prior to Mountain Day for a field day.
1970
By modern tradition, students donate a number of pennies during the march equal to this personal milestone.
Their age on Mountain Day
Martha Berry surprised students on the first Mountain Day morning during this meal, announcing that classes were cancelled.
Breakfast