Bonaventure Cemetery
Bonaventure Cemetery is one of Savannah’s most enduring and most popular landmarks. Encompassing almost 160 acres of land, it is not just a place to commemorate the dead but is also a tourist destination that reflects the history and rich culture of Savannah.
History of Bonaventure Cemetery
Bonaventure Cemetery used to be part of a plantation owned by John Mullryne. Its last private owner was William H. Wiltberger, who formed the Evergreen Cemetery Company in June, 1968. The cemetery was purchased by the City of Savannah in 1907, making it a public facility under the name Bonaventure Cemetery.
Today, Savannah citizens and others may purchase interment rights in the cemetery. It is open to the public everyday from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. without an admission fee.
The cemetery has long been known for its hauntingly beautiful grounds, its history, and the folklore that surrounds it. It achieved even wider attention when it was prominently featured in the book (and movie), Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
Features
Bonaventure Cemetery lies peacefully beside the Wilmington River, canopied by centuries-old oak trees decked with hanging Spanish moss. Pink azaleas and roses lend color and sweetness to the place, while birds, butterflies, and other garden creatures give it palpable life.
In 1867, naturalist John Muir stayed in Bonaventure Cemetery for a week and wrote about its “depth of life” in his book, Thousand Mile Walk.
The tombs around the place are works of art in themselves. Adorned with marble statues and sculptures, highly-ornate crypts, and elaborate tombstones with attention-grabbing epitaphs, they give the cemetery a mysterious, other-worldly feel.
Famous occupants
Bonaventure Cemetery is the permanent resting place of some of Georgia’s dignitaries and famous citizens, including novelist Conrad Aiken, songwriter Johnny Mercer, actors Edythe Chapman and James Neill, and Gov. Edward Telfair. It is also the burial site of soldiers and officers of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
Folklore and ghost stories
Bonaventure Cemetery is shrouded in intriguing folklore, befitting its history and mysterious allure.
One of the cemetery’s most popular grave sites is that of Little Gracie Watson, who died of pneumonia in 1889 at the age of six. The story goes that Little Gracie’s father was so heartbroken, he commissioned sculptor John Walz to create a statue of his beloved daughter. The lifelike sculpture now adorns Little Gracie’s grave site, bringing in visitors from all over the country. The ghost of Little Gracie is said to visit places in Savannah where she spent parts of her short life.
The book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, has also drawn attention to the cemetery’s other folkloric features. One of these is the statue of Little Wendy, or the Bird Girl, that was shown on the book’s cover. Once standing over the Trosdal family plot, it was donated to Savannah’s Telfair Museum of Art to ensure its preservation. There are talks that the model, Lorraine Greenman, haunts the statue of her likeness.
It’s not only the statue of Little Wendy that is said to be haunted. Folklore has it that the figures of cherubs and angels around the cemetery come to life and change expressions. The same is said of the statues of babies, children, lonely ladies and others within the cemetery’s hallowed grounds.
