Statues of Bonaventure

To continue a brief look at the history of this magnificent cemetery, let’s move on thru the years.  Ownership of the land changed hands several times over the continuing years, and in 1907, the Evergreen Corporation (of which Bonaventure was a part) was sold to the City of Savannah.  It then formally became Bonaventure Cemetery.  In 1994, the Bonaventure Historical Society was organized to assist restoration and preservation at Bonaventure.  Thru its efforts, Bonaventure Cemetery was place on the National Registry of Historic Places in February, 2001.

Little Gracie

Of all the monuments in the cemetery, the statues were my favorites.  This gravesite is one of the most visited gravesite in Bonaventure.  Gracie is depicted here in her Easter finery.  This statue was sculpted from a photograph taken of Gracie Watson shortly before her death at age 6.  She died of pneumonia 2 days before Easter.  This statue is life sized.  Gracie lived from 1883 – 1889.

Cemetery Angel

This cemetery angel is located right next to Little Gracie.  She appears to have just placed flowers on the table she’s standing next to.  The blooming flowers contribute to the gracefulness of this statue.

Cemetery Cross

I love the way this cross just seems to rise up out of the garden greenery below it.  The trees add a certain elegance to the overall effect.

Arched Monument

I love this image.  I feel like the statue (of Christ?  Saint Peter beside Heaven’s Gate?) is standing surveying the Garden of Eden, or whatever awaits us (hopefully) when we pass on.

Angel Looking Down

I feel as if this angel is hovering over the gravesite, guarding and protecting the person who lies beneath her.  Perhaps a representation of the person’s guardian angel?

Loving Guardian

I think this is my favorite angel image.  She isn’t very large, and is standing in the middle of garden greenery and blooming flowers, as you can see.  This angel was only about 20 feet from the grave of Johnny Mercer, and I came across her before I asked someone where Johnny Mercer’s grave was.  She just gives off the aura of love and peace.

Weeping Among the Moss

I happened to see this angel as we were driving around trying to find our way to Johnny Mercer’s grave.  She’s not that far from it, I don’t think.  In any event, I made Jeff stop so I could run back to this vantage point to capture her either weeping or praying among the hanging moss.  To me, this statue conveys the greatest feeling of grief that I came across in the cemetery.  A love of a lifetime lost?  Who knows?  This ends on a sad note, but overall, the feeling of this cemetery is one of beauty and peace.

Enjoy!



Bonaventure Obelisks and Taller Headstones

In 1753, John Mullryne began acquiring land in Georgia.  By 1764, he had several thousand acres and 2 sawmills in operation.  During this time, he, his wife, 3 daughters and 2 son-in-law’s came to reside in this province.  From all their landholdings, they chose a parcel on St. Augustine Creek 3 ½ miles from Savannah, which they named Bonaventure, or Good Fortune.  From 1775 – 1782, Bonaventure was the site from which Royal Governor James Wright evaded his Revolutionary captors.  In 1779, the plantation became a hospital for the French troops in their attempt to capture Savannah from British control.  It is believed that many of the French troops lie buried at Bonaventure.  When Savannah was finally taken from British control, the Mullrynes were called traitors by the Revolutionary government, and they fled to New Providence, Nassau, where John Mullryne died in 1786.  The land changed hands, and in 1802, Harriet Tattnall, wife of the youngest grandson of the Mullrynes, died and was buried on the grounds.  She was the first identified adult to be buried in what was to become Bonaventure Cemetery.

Jacob Paulson Headstone

Altho I didn’t see Harriet’s gravesite, there were many others that we did see.  I especially liked this one because of the peaceful setting in which it sits.  Spanish moss can be found throughout the cemetery, and here it seems to be offering shade and protection, of sorts, to the grave.

Obelisk Monument

This obelisk monument seems the perfect ornamental accessory for the garden, which, of course, is not its purpose.  It just shows how beauty and grief seamlessly co-exist in this setting.

Cemetery Green

There doesn’t seem to be any logic to how the gravesites are located here, altho I imagine there is.  There are supposed to be numbers, but I couldn’t figure out any rhyme or reason to them, and not all gravesites reflect the numbers assigned to them.  If you didn’t know exactly where this gravesite was located, it’s easy to see how it would be sort of invisible amongst the green.

Cohen Monument

I found I had a few images of this monument from different angles. This one is the one that I think best shows off how it’s nestled in the garden surrounding it.  It also shows you how turned around you can get in here, as I didn’t realize I had a number of photos of this from different angles, all taken at different times!

Bonaventure Cemetery Monument

I especially like this monument because it seems to mirror the drapery feel of the Spanish moss trees surrounding it.  I feel like it’s practically dripping with beauty and charm – strange thing to say about a cemetery monument, but that is the nature of Bonaventure Cemetery.

Obelisk among the Flowers

I’m not certain what the pink blooms are called, but they were abundant throughout the cemetery.  I’m not sure how many graves are actually pictured in this image, because many are covered in blooms, but that seems like a nice way to have one’s gravesite naturally decorated.

In the Garden

Here’s another arched monument that looks like it’s more of a garden accessory than something that belongs in a cemetery.  I just love the lush colors that filled this magical place.

Enjoy!



Welcome to Bonaventure Cemetery

Several years ago, in the mid-1990s, there was a best-selling fact-based novel, called “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”.  The book was set in Savannah, GA, and did make mention of the Bonaventure Cemetery.  In fact, the statue on the cover of the book was a statue that was here in the cemetery at the time.  It has since been moved, but still there was much to see in this incredible place.

Bonaventure Road

I have to admit up front, that I absolutely love cemeteries.  I’m not morbid – as a photographer, some really great images can be made in a cemetery.  After having seen the magnificent cemetery, Ricoleta, in Buenos Aires, I didn’t think I’d ever see anything that would come close to matching it.  Well, I stand corrected.  Bonaventure has to be the most beautiful cemetery I’ve ever seen.  We didn’t have a lot of time to spend exploring here, so we focused on the oldest, most historic area of the cemetery.

Upchurch Monument

This headstone monument was the most modern of the headstones or monuments that we saw.  It sort of doesn’t quite “fit” within the area of the cemetery where it’s located, but I just couldn’t resist capturing it, just because it was so creative, it made me smile!

Pair of Headstones

Part of what made some of the headstones so captivating was the detail that was included in even the more modest of them.  This pair were for a doctor and his wife.  Can you read the dates?  He was born in born in 1810 and died in 1886.  Quite a life span back in those days.

Matched Pair

This pair of headstones clearly are meant to be a pair, and altho they aren’t identical, they do match in terms of the complementary nature of their design.

Headstone Dates

Some of the headstones are from very, very long ago.  Sir and Lady Houstoun had, mostly likely, come to America from England, where they received their titles.  Keep in mind, they were born before the US was a country!  Also, Sir Houstoun only lived to be 51, while Lady Houstoun lived 26 years longer, to the ripe old age of 72.  Both Jeff and I were amazed at the dates that were reflected on some of these headstones.  I would have loved to spend an entire day here.

Veteran Headstone

Here’s another interesting headstone.  It appears Herman Lange died at about the time World War I ended.  He was 45 at the time. From the decoration on the headstone, it suggests that he was in the military.  Could it have been in World War I – he would have been a bit old for that war.  Perhaps the Spanish-American War?  In any event, his wife, Anna, lived 43 years after he died, dying at the ripe old age of 80.  That would have been a very long life for a person born back in the late 1800s.

Grave of Johnny Mercer

There are a number of famous people, or at least famous graves here in Bonaventure Cemetery.  Johnny Mercer falls into the first category.  I have to admit that altho his name sounded familiar, and I thought it had to do with music, I wasn’t at all sure who he was.  He was born in 1909 and died in 1976.  He was a very famous song writer, and penned more than 1,000 lyrics.  He won 4 Oscars for movie lyrics, and wrote 7 Broadway shows. 

Headstone with Patina

Both of these headstones (above and below) were in what I believe is called the Basin Garden of the cemetery.  I am including them because they are great examples of some of the old headstones that have a patina on them that pretty much renders them unreadable.  I do hope that there are still family members around who remember their stories.

Worn Headstone

Abella’s Grave

This is another headstone in the same area as the two immediately above.  You can see how the patina and time are wearing away some of the lettering. I could make out that it was probably the grave of Abella and her husband, but I couldn’t make out many other details.

Enjoy!