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The Complete Guide to Cemetery Symbolism

Far less heralded than Bonaventure Cemetery on Whitemarsh Island, but nearly as beautiful and free from almost any tourist presence, the twin cemeteries of Laurel Grove North and Laurel Grove South are great places to spend a quiet afternoon among the dead.

Laurel Grove was established in 1853, after the more central Colonial Park Cemetery was deemed too full and closed to further burials. With plenty of room on Savannah’s western side, the city fathers split their new cemetery into two separate sections: North for whites, South for blacks.

We didn’t understand that these are really two separate cemeteries, with different entrances. So we spent a long time walking around Laurel Grove North, admiring the gorgeous tombstones clearly erected for rich families, and looking for the south section. There was nobody on the grounds, save for one group of Girl Scouts jumping around on Juliette Gordon Low’s grave. We wandered to the southern extremity of the cemetery, through a field of graves for Confederate soldiers killed in the war, looking for the burial places of the slaves. In the end, we gave up and went home.

The next day, having being corrected by amused friends, we drove to Laurel Grove South. Just as haunting and beautiful as its twin to the north, but completely different in feeling. Not as many glorious, towering monuments. Not as many Girl Scouts.

If you’re looking for a lovely, desolate place to spend a few hours in Savannah, Laurel Grove is a great alternative the more popular Bonaventure.

Location on our Savannah Map: Laurel Grove North – Laurel Grove South

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Pictures of Laurel Grove North:

Now pictures from Laurel Grove Cemetery South: