Savannah Terrors
Bonaventure CemeterySavannah Terrors
9. Bonaventure CemeteryThe Colonial Park cemetery might have its fair share of ghosts and ghouls, but it's nothing compared to the Bonaventure Cemetery, the most haunted cemetery in Savannah. The horrors that plague this cemetery mar its outstanding beauty. Thousands of people visit Bonaventure each year, but the myriad of spirits who still linger frighten even the bravest souls who dare disturb the cemetery's peaceful grounds. The tale of Bonaventure begins with two early and prominent colonial families, the Mullrynes and the Tattnalls. In 1771 John Mullryne and his son-in-law, Josiah Tattnall, owned 9,920 acres of Georgia land. The 600 acres that would become the cemetery are just three miles from Savannah on St. Augustine Creek. This site became the family plantation, named Bonaventure, French for "good fortune." Mullryne established a small family plot on the grounds, which eventually formed the nucleus of the present-day Bonaventure Cemetery. But good fortune proved elusive. The plantation caught fire and burned to the ground twice in 30 years. Afraid of another fire, the family held their parties and gatherings outside. Perhaps this is why you might feel that you are in a party when no one is aroundâexcept for the dead. The voices of people from a time gone by are not simply echoes carried by the wind. Ghost hunters claim that these voices and and presences are residual hauntings, like energy recorded in time. Like most cemeteries in the south, Bonaventure is also the final resting place of many soldiers. Try not to tread too loudly over their graves because you might wake them. The cemetery is famous for several popular statues, including the statue of Gracie Watson. The statue of the innocent girl is probably the most haunted spot in Bonaventure Cemetery. Little Gracie was the daughter of the manager of the Pulaski House. Gracie loved to socialize with the guests and became so loved by the elite that her mother let her play hostess to several parties. The rare times when she got bored, Gracie would scamper behind the back stairwell to play with her toys. Gracie Watson died of pneumonia when she was only six years old. After her death, her mother swore she could still hear, and even sense, her daughter playing in the house. Party guests would feel a small hand tugging at their skirts or jackets. Some even saw her running around corners and down halls. Even today, visitors at the house's former location sense the presence of a young girl. Citizens of Savannah love to leave toys at her statue for her to play with. But if her toys are taken away, the statue is said to cry into the night.
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