Ever played the game “Six degrees of Kevin Bacon?” It’s a bit of a stretch, but … follow the link from the famous actor to President Theodore Roosevelt.
Kevin Bacon starred in the TV series “The Following.”
The series was filmed on the campus of Berry College.
One of the college’s most beloved historic buildings is the Roosevelt Cabin.
The cabin got its name after college founder Martha Barry hosted President Theodore Roosevelt for lunch at the Cabin in 1910.
Renovation of the Cabin was completed in 2015.
Production fees from Bacon’s “The Following” played a major role in paying for the renovation.
Ok, it’s a reach … but it’s not a stretch at all to connect Georgia’s film and television industry to preservation of historic buildings on the 115-year-old campus.
Lasting impressions from filming can be found in two buildings more than 100 years old. In addition to the renovation of Roosevelt Cabin, restorations were recently completed for Cabin in the Pines, a building that dates to the late 1800s that used to be referred to by students as the “kissing cabin.” Money to spruce up Cabin in the Pines came from fees paid by the television series “Constantine” and “Kingmakers,” a TV pilot that was never aired.
Where possible, local materials and businesses were used in the renovations. On the Roosevelt Cabin, Mike Crook Garden and Stone handled the work of “chinking,” a process in which mud is spread between logs to seal the walls. The mud was a clay mixture made up of local sand, quicklime and sawdust.
“There’s no doubt that Georgia’s film industry is good for our campus,” says Chris Kozelle, Berry’s Director of Public Relations, adding that site-location tours are now a regular part of her job.
“People in the industry come here, and are amazed at the beauty of Berry,” Kozelle says. “Even if we don’t get the production, we get great exposure every time a potential production group tours our campus.”