Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah

A Teddy Bear someone left for Gracie

Bonaventure Cemetery overlooks the Wilmington River and is filled with grand old trees covered in Spanish moss and beautiful statues and tombs dedicated to the memories of some of Savannah's most notable citizens.

Bonaventure Cemetery is located on the site of a plantation once owned by John Mullryne. The Plantation was converted to a cemetery in 1868. The cemetery was made famous after John Berendt's book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was published. The book, and then the movie of the same title by Clint Eastwood, propelled Savannah and the Bonaventure Cemetery into the spotlight and made the city a major tourist destination. The tourist rush has subsided dwindled some now and the city and the Bonaventure can be enjoyed without excessive crowds. If you decide to visit Bonaventure remember that it is a graveyard and family members are there as well.

Pictures of Bonaventure Cemetery

Johnny Mercer

Johnny Mercer was born in 1909 and died in 1976 and was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery at his family plot near the Savannah River, the same river that inspired the lyrics to his song Moon River. Mercer was a cofounder of Capital Records. Johnny Mercer wrote many famous songs that are still remembered today. Many of songs were used in movies and he won four Academy Awards for his works. The Mercer House in Savannah was built by his grandfather and was the setting for the murder in the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil book and movie. Johnny Mercer is buried next to his parents and his wife.

And the angels sing

Conrad Aiken

Conrad Aiken was born in Savannah in 1889 and at age ten his father killed his mother and then committed suicide. After that Aiken was raised by family and later became a famous writer of poetry, short fiction, and novels. Conrad Aiken was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery when he died in 1973.

Aiken's tomb was made famous when it was mentioned in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Aiken's tombstone is a bench. He wanted this so that visitors could stop by and enjoy a drink of Madeira at his grave. The bench is inscribed with, "Give my love to the world," and "Cosmos Mariner—Destination Unknown."

Gracie

There is a historical marker outside of Gracie's grave that reads:

"Little Gracie Watson was born in 1883, the only child of her parents. Her father was manager of the Pulaski Hotels, where the beautiful and charming little girl was a favorite with the guests. Two days before Easter, in April 1889, Gracie died of pnemonia 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."

The statue above Gracie's grave has been visited and admired for years. Those that knew her said that it was a perfect recreation of her image. The area around the tomb was fenced off a few years ago because many people were rubbing her for good luck and causing the statue to wear down.

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