With its amazing positiioning and expansive and gorgeously manicured grounds, this resting place is one of the most visually pleasing and aesthetic places in all of Savannah. Bonaventure means 'good fortune' in French, and anyone who is laid to rest in this peaceful location certainly did have good fortune.
The cemetery was once a plantation but was transformed into public cemetery in 1907. Soldiers from both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars rest here, as well as several other famous figures. The cemetery was the setting for a 1994 best seller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, which was made into a movie directed by Clint Eastwood.
But what is a cemetery without ghost stories and legends? One of the most infamous fables of Bonaventure is that of the Gracie Watson statue. This sculpture of a small girl buried in the cemetery is often inundated with gifts put in her lap. It is said that if any of these gifts are stolen the statue will cry tears of blood. Another legend is that of the ghostly hounds. It is said that these four legged fiends will chase people from the cemetery. Despite the legends and eerie quality of Bonaventure, it is, above all else, a peaceful and beautiful spot to visit in Savannah.
