This could the most interesting cemetery in America. On the banks of the Wilmington River, just a short drive from downtown historic Savannah this former plantation is peaceful, quiet and mesmerizing all at the same time. The monuments erected are a testament to those that they mark and those artisans that have created them. Made famous to the world with the movie “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” Bonaventure Cemetery is lined with century old oak trees draped with the Spanish moss that is so famous for Savannah Georgia. Since 1846 these grounds have been the resting place for the colorful citizens of Savannah which includes Civil War soldiers, politicians, poets and songwriters. It took me an entire day on foot to walk the cemetery and the one thought that reoccurred in my head was the big difference between modern cemeteries of today versus the cemeteries of yesterday. Today we bury a friend or family member and we throw down a slab of granite with the date of birth and death and we call it a day, walking though Bonaventure you notice how the family and friends would incorporate the “character” of the decease in their final resting spot. This is differently something I feel we have lost in remembering the past, I personally would be very honored for someone 200 years from now taking a few moments in front of my grave and be able see my character and wonder out load about my life as I did to so many here at Bonaventure Cemetery.
Little Gracie Watson was born in 1883, the
only child of her parents. Her father was
manager of the Pulaski House, one of
Savannah’s leading hotels, where the
beautiful and charming little girl was a
favorite with the guests. Two days before
Easter, in April 1889, Gracie died of
pneumonia at the age of six. In 1890,
when the rising sculptor, John Walz, moved to
Savannah, he carved from a photograph
this life-sized, delicately detailed marble
statue, which for almost a century has
captured the interest of all passersby.
