Bonaventure Cemetery is an amazing place — a genuine sight to see. So many people visit this historic cemetery, and very few leave without experiencing something.
Draped in Spanish moss and shaded by ancient live oaks along the Wilmington River, Bonaventure is as beautiful as it is haunted. Below is a look at its history and the spirits that are said to keep it company.
A Cemetery Like No Other
Bonaventure sits on the grounds of a former plantation on a bluff above the Wilmington River, just east of the city. It became a private cemetery in 1846, operated for years as Evergreen Cemetery, and was purchased by the City of Savannah in 1907, when it took the name Bonaventure. Today, at nearly 160 acres, it’s the largest of Savannah’s municipal cemeteries.
What draws visitors from all over the world is the atmosphere: oak-lined lanes, Victorian marble statuary (much of it carved by the sculptor John Walz, who created dozens of Bonaventure’s monuments), and an extraordinary roster of the departed — among them songwriter Johnny Mercer and the Pulitzer-winning poet Conrad Aiken, whose martini-bench grave is a stop for literary pilgrims. It’s also the cemetery made famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, whose iconic “Bird Girl” statue once stood here before being moved to a museum to protect it from the crowds. As the naturalist John Muir wrote after visiting, Bonaventure’s “few graves are powerless in such a depth of life.”
Little Gracie Watson
Bonaventure’s most famous resident is Little Gracie Watson — arguably its most beloved. Gracie was the only child of the couple who managed the Pulaski House hotel on Johnson Square, where the charming little girl was a favorite of the guests. As her plaque records, she died of pneumonia in April 1889, just days after Easter, at only six years old.
Her grief-stricken father commissioned the sculptor John Walz to carve a lifelike marble statue of Gracie from a photograph, completed in 1890. It remains one of the most-visited graves in the cemetery. Her plot is fenced off, yet hundreds of people leave tokens of affection for her every year — toys, coins, small gifts. Legend holds that if one of those tokens is removed, Gracie can be heard crying, and some have even claimed to see blood-like tears on her statue’s face.
Leave a gift for Gracie. Just don’t take one away.
The Hell Hounds of Bonaventure
You’ll also hear stories of the Hell Hounds said to guard the grounds. Actual sightings are rare, but many visitors have claimed to feel their presence — and even to feel a warm breath brush against their legs when nothing is there. Unsettling as that sounds, no one has ever been harmed by them. Whatever they are, they seem more like watchful guardians than a threat.
The Statues That Move
Then there are the statues. Legends, myths, and firsthand stories all claim that Bonaventure’s many monuments don’t always stay put. Some visitors swear a statue has literally turned to face the other way, or that they’ve found a familiar figure standing on the opposite side of the lane from where it stood moments before. The angel statues in particular have a reputation — more than a few people insist they’ve been caught in their glare.
And these are just the tip of the iceberg for Bonaventure.
Voices in the Daylight
What makes Bonaventure especially unusual is that investigators have gotten remarkable results even in broad daylight. We once received a report from some folks using a ghost box on their very first visit — and, they said, a voice through the box led them from monument to monument, statue to statue, before finally stopping at Little Gracie’s grave. A moment later, audible laughter drifted from somewhere in the distance.
We still receive reports like this to this day: ghosts, ghouls, statues that seem to come to life, and much more. So what do you say? Have you ever experienced anything at Bonaventure Cemetery? Tell us in the comments below.
Experience Haunted Savannah for Yourself
From Bonaventure’s moss-draped lanes to the shadowed squares downtown, hear Savannah’s ghost stories where they happened. Join Destination Ghost Tours after dark.
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Chris Allen is the founder of Destination Ghost Tours, a historian and storyteller with a lifelong fascination for the darker corners of history. He spends his time uncovering the true stories behind haunted legends, guiding guests through historic cities, and chasing down details that refuse to stay buried. When he is not working, he can usually be found with his partner Arissa, their dog Bear, and their two cats, Trouble and Covu, photographing old places, digging through archives, or disappearing into historical rabbit holes. He believes the best history is honest, atmospheric, and just unsettling enough to linger.