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We take a road trip to the sunny South.

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1000places > It is not unusual in Bonaventure Cemetery to suddenly see a haunting face materialize from behind an overgrown shrub.

1000places > One of those haunting faces belongs to "Little Gracie," who died of pneumonia in 1890 at the age of six. The daughter of one of Savannah's leading hotel owners, she was a favorite of the guests. When an aspiring sculptor came to town, he carved this delicately detailed statue from a photograph.

1000places > For more than a century, "Little Gracie" has captured the interest of visitors to Bonaventure Cemetery. She reflects a time when gravemarkers depicted the personality of the deceased rather than just names and dates.

1000places > Although Bonaventure Cemetery seemed to photograph better in stark black-and-white, some of the monuments to the deceased had poignant touches that could only be appreciated in color.

1000places > The color version of a photograph previously shown in black-and-white. I've included it here simply for archive purposes.

1000places > Like most of Savannah in March, Bonaventure Cemetery was in full bloom, its azaleas bringing a somewhat strange sense of life to the burial ground.

One final note about the eerieness of Bonaventure: In 1771 John Mulryne's plantation mansion caught fire during a formal dinner party; reportedly, the host quite calmly led his guests from the dining room and into the garden, where they settled in to finish eating while the house burned to the ground. At the end, the host and the guests threw their crystal glasses against the trunk of an old oak tree. It's said that on still nights you can hear the laughter and the crashing of the crystal. Bonaventure Cemetery has been called the "scene of the Eternal Party. What better place, in Savannah, to rest in peace for all time -- where the party goes on and on."

1000places > Back in Savannah, we made our way to River Street bordering the Savannah River. There at the far end of the street - appropriately removed from the crowded row of commercial shops - is perhaps Savannah's most famous statue, the Waving Girl. The solitary figure, accompanied by her dog, honors Florence Martus, the sister of the Tybee Island lighthouse keeper. From 1887 to 1931, she greeted passing ships by waving a white cloth during the day and a lantern at night.....

1000places > ....Florence Martus never said why she greeted every ship entering Savannah harbor for more than 40 years, but one legend claims that she was hoping for the return of a sailor from Boston with whom she had fallen in love. It was said that until Florence gave her last wave on June 1, 1931, she never missed a ship. She died in 1943. The statue was erected 29 years later.

1000places > Also at the far end of Savannah's River Street is a sculpture commemorating the 1996 Olympic Games. Although most of the events were held in and around Atlanta, Savannah hosted the sculling competition at this site.

It is not unusual in Bonaventure Cemetery to suddenly see a haunting face materialize from behind an overgrown shrub.

> It is not unusual in Bonaventure Cemetery to suddenly see a haunting face materialize from behind an overgrown shrub.

It is not unusual in Bonaventure Cemetery to suddenly see a haunting face materialize from behind an overgrown shrub.

Camera: Nikon Corporation (Nikon D40) |

More details: exif |

Original size: 1971px x 2812px |

Current: 211px x 300px |

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