Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah

This cemetery is not only a scenic spot with ancient live oaks draped in Spanish moss, colorful azaleas and camellias, and stunning views of the Wilmington River, but also a home to some of the city's most fascinating legends and stories.

Bonaventure Cemetery was established in 1846 on the former plantation of John Mullryne, a British loyalist who lost his land after the American Revolution. The cemetery covers 100 acres and has about 25,000 graves, including those of famous Savannahians such as songwriter Johnny Mercer, poet Conrad Aiken, and novelist Flannery O'Connor. The cemetery also features many elaborate and artistic monuments, some of which have become icons of Savannah's culture and folklore.

One of the most famous monuments in Bonaventure Cemetery is the statue of Little Gracie Watson, a six-year-old girl who died of pneumonia in 1889. The statue was sculpted by John Walz from a photograph of Gracie and placed on her grave by her grieving parents. The statue is so lifelike that many visitors feel a connection with the little girl and leave toys, coins and flowers on her grave. Some even claim to hear her crying at night or see tears of blood on her face. According to legend, Gracie's ghost haunts the cemetery and wanders around looking for her parents, who moved away after her death.

Another famous monument in Bonaventure Cemetery is the bench of Conrad Aiken, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who was born and died in Savannah. Aiken had a tragic childhood, witnessing the murder-suicide of his parents when he was 11 years old. He moved away from Savannah but returned later in life and bought a house next to his childhood home. He and his wife Mary are buried in Bonaventure Cemetery near his parents' grave. Instead of a headstone, they have a granite bench with the inscription "Cosmos Mariner - Destination Unknown". The bench is an invitation for poetry lovers to sit and enjoy a drink with Aiken, as he and his wife used to do on their visits to the cemetery. Many locals and tourists follow this tradition and bring martinis to Aiken's grave, especially on his birthday.

Bonaventure Cemetery is not only a place of death but also a place of life and light. It has inspired many artists and writers, such as John Muir, who camped there for six days during his Thousand Mile Walk and described it as a "natural cathedral". It also gained fame from John Berendt's book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", which featured the statue of Little Wendy on its cover. The statue was originally located in Bonaventure Cemetery but was moved to the Telfair Museum of Art after the book's popularity attracted too many visitors.

If you want to experience the haunted Bonaventure Cemetery for yourself, you can visit it any day from 8 am to 5 pm. You can also take a guided tour with one of the local companies that offer historical and paranormal insights into the cemetery's stories. You might encounter some friendly ghosts along the way or feel the magic of this enchanting place.