Bonaventure Cemetery – Good Fortune Comes to Those Who Die
Known as one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the entire country, Bonaventure is found on the outskirts of Savannah, bordering the Wilmington River across from Whitemarsh Island. Its name means “Good Fortune”, and those buried on its grounds might certainly consider themselves fortunate.
We’ve been tossing around the word “haunting” a lot as our exploration of Savannah continues, but what can we do? We’ll resort to it again with Bonaventure, where Spanish Moss hangs sorrowfully from every tree, casting broken light onto solemn fields of gravestones. Bonaventure Cemetery is absolutely haunting.
We wandered around for hours, discovering tombstones of exquisite craftsmanship and peculiar intrigue. There’s one in the form of a broken tree trunk. A grinning marathon runner. Obelisks and gates. Downcast girls holding flowers. Underground crypts. And of course, Little Gracie Watson.
Bonaventure is full of ghosts, and its most famous is that of Gracie Watson. In life, the vivacious daughter of the manager of the Pulaski House had been beloved by neighbors and well-known to the hotel’s guests. But pneumonia didn’t love Little Gracie. Pneumonia snuffed her out at the age of six. Her grief-stricken father commissioned the statue to mark her grave, and ever since, there have been rumors of the soft sobbing of a little girl in Bonaventure. The statue supposedly sheds tears, and screams out at night if someone removes one of her flowers.
Besides Gracie, a number of famous people rest their bones in Bonaventure, including Johnny Mercer, Conrad Aiken and Henry R. Jackson. One statue you won’t find there, though, is the Bird Girl statue made famous from the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil — it’s been moved to the Telfair Museum of Art, for safekeeping. That’s a shame, but there’s plenty else to see in Bonaventure. Plan at least a couple hours.
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November 16, 2010 at 4:29 pm
November 16, 2010 at 5:30 pmAllison Mol
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Looks like someone had fun with the camera today. I do not think it is possible to take a bad picture at Bonaventure. Wonderful images!
November 16, 2010 at 5:33 pmLisa
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Absolutely GORGEOUS!!!! Bonaventure is one of the few places we haven’t visited during our many trips to Savannah – it’s definitely on the list for our next visit after seeing how you have captured its beauty!
November 16, 2010 at 6:21 pmDon Teuton
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You guys need to check out Laurel Grove Cemetery. It’s much older than Bonaventure and beautiful in its own right.
November 16, 2010 at 6:31 pmJuergen
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Thank you all for the great comments. We love them
Don – thank you, we def. will check out Laurel Grove.
February 29, 2012 at 5:41 pmDave Davis
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My friend an I just got back from Savannah last week. Bonaventure is on our schedule every time we are there. That’s at least five times. My favorite city in the south. We haven’t been to Laurel Grove, But will keep it on my list for the next time. Late February & March is the perfect time to be in Savannah, Weather is usually just right, Not to hot, Not to cold. We enjoy every minute of our stay. From Louisville, Kentucky
July 15, 2012 at 11:38 amIngrid
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One of the photos above caught my attention. It’s the one of John Meyer’s tombstone. His wife was born in Langen, Germany. I wonder which Langen it was. There are several towns with that name. I was born and raised in Langen in Hessen.
October 10, 2012 at 11:02 pmPRains
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Bonaventure is such a beautiful place and always on our “must see” list when we visit Savannah. Thanks for sharing these photos. I recognized several of them from past visits. Looks like it was a great day for photography with that pretty sunshine.
October 11, 2012 at 9:32 amIra David
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The Pedal America crew loved shooting in Savannah and capturing video images of the Bonaventure Cemetery. It’s among my favorite episodes of our first season now airing on Public TV.