Walking among spirits: Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, GA

Memories of those long gone live on in emotive statuary

For decades, the book and movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, have drawn visitors to Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery. Arriving there yesterday with only 45 minutes until the gates would close, we found it mostly empty. Just driving the sandy roads from section to section gave us a deep sense of its spirit and mystique. We parked near the river, strapped Emilia into her carrier, and set out to absorb the aura of this legendary place. Its most famous statue, by Sylvia Shaw Judson, is called the Bird Girl. After gracing the cover of the bestseller, it was moved to the Telfair Academy Museum in the city. However, we would have no trouble discovering many of our own favorites.

The cemetery’s character draws from its compact layout and juxtaposition of manmade and natural elements. The weather and time of day added to the ambiance.

My daughter Megan discovered this sweet spot of flowers and Spanish moss.

Many examples of intricate raised carvings indicate the wealth of those buried here

Just by chance, we happened upon one of the more famous and poignant gravesites. A worn stone plaque told the story of Little Gracie Watson. The “beautiful and charming” six-year-old died of pneumonia two days before Easter 1890. She was very well loved, a favorite of guests at Savannah’s Pulaski House Hotel, where her father was the manager. Today, visitors leave gifts outside the fence that surrounds her plot. Her moving, but solemn, likeness is an early work of sculptor John Walz, who would go on to create over 100 sculptures in Bonaventure.