Historic Bonaventure Cemetery

In Savannah, Georgia

I became acquainted with this famous cemetery through the writings of John Muir, one of my favorite authors. This cemetery is considered to be one of the most beautiful cemeteries in the entire United States.

In 1867, John Muir began his Thousand Mile Walk to Florida and the Gulf. In October he sojourned for six days and nights in the Bonaventure cemetery, sleeping upon graves overnight, this being the safest and cheapest accommodation that he could find while he waited for money to be expressed from home. He found the cemetery even then breathtakingly beautiful and inspiring and wrote a lengthy chapter upon it, “Camping in the Tombs.” — Wikipedia

On our winter road trip to the south, we stopped in Savannah, Georgia. I had been eager to visit this eerie place for years and Rich wanted to visit Tybee Island.

One of the famous graves in this cemetery is that of American Writer Conrad Aiken, whose work includes poetry, short stories, novels, a play, and an autobiography. He died in 1973.

Bonaventure Cemetery was developed on the historically significant site of Bonaventure Plantation. The peaceful setting rests on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah. The site was purchased for a private cemetery in 1846 and became a public cemetery in 1907. — savannahga.gov

Another famous grave located here is for Henry R. Jackson, who was a major general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. He died in 1898.

The Visitor Center is open 10 am to 4 pm Eastern time every Saturday and Sunday. Since we were there on a weekday, it was closed.

This charming site has been a world famous tourist destination for more than 150 years due to the old tree-lined roadways, the many notable persons interred, the unique cemetery sculptures and architecture, and the folklore associated with the site and the people. — savannahga.gov

Johnny Mercer is also buried here. He was the founder of Capitol Records and died in 1976. He was nominated for 19 Academy Awards, won 4 Oscars, and wrote over 1,500 songs.

The cemetery is full of hundred year old live oak trees draped with Spanish Moss.

When Rich and I first moved to Florida in 1986, the guys would go out every weekend to pick Spanish Moss off the trees, bring it home and lay it out to dry, and then sell it.

I don’t think that is allowed any more.

Finally, the most famous grave in this cemetery is probably that of Little Gracie Watson. An iron gate surrounds her tomb and people leave trinkets and toys to pay their respects.

Born in 1883 to parents W.J. and Frances Watson, Gracie hailed originally from Boston, Massachusetts. Her father was given the opportunity to manage one of the most popular hotels in Savannah, and the Watson family made the move to Georgia. After all, one did not say no to the luxurious Pulaski Hotel.

From almost the first moment that the Watson family arrived, Little Gracie’s face became one of the most recognized in all of the hotel. The guests adored her, and it seems that she adored them as well. She would laugh and dance, sing and play for anyone willing to give her a moment of their time. For Little Gracie, it seemed that there was all the time in the world . . . Until there simply wasn’t any longer.

At just six years old, Little Gracie was struck with a high fever, a plaguing cough. Somehow she had caught pneumonia, a sickness that could level any adult and could surely do damage to a little girl. Little Gracie had not the strength to press on, and just days before Easter she finally succumbed to illness.

She died in 1889 and for over a hundred years now, Little Gracie’s resting place has been a favorite stop for visitors of Bonaventure Cemetery.

Make sure to venture clear to back of the cemetery and see the beautiful view of the scenic Wilmington River.

The cemetery’s prominence grew when it was featured in the 1994 novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, and in the subsequent movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, based on the book. — Wikipedia

Even if it had not served as the most memorable setting in the novel, this remarkable graveyard would still draw the curious. The moss-covered graves and monuments here date back over two centuries, and mark the resting places of soldiers, generals, and plantation owners.

If you are ever in the Savannah, Georgia area, be sure to put this beautiful cemetery on your list of places to visit.