Bonaventure Cemetery

It’s dark tonight, with the moon hiding behind the clouds. As we walk through the old cemetery gates, they squeal with age, giving away our whereabouts to anyone or anything that may want to find us. Let us hope nothing does.

This is Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah. It is the oldest and most haunted cemetery in Georgia. The land was previously a large plantation, owned by well-known socialites. A feast was planned for the Harvest Moon and guests arrived in bal masque for a grand feast. During the party, a servant alerted the master of the house of a fire that had broken out in the kitchen and that all efforts to extinguish the blaze had proved ineffectual. The host then ordered the servants to move the table and chairs outside where they would continue the feast. Once outside, guests continued to eat and drink merrily by the light of the blazing fire. The host then made a toast under the harvest moon of his desire that the feast may never end. He just may have gotten his wish. If we get lucky, we will see the diners still dining this evening.

Right over here is the most popular attraction, little Gracie Watson. Gracie’s father owned a local hotel where guests would often find little Gracie singing and dancing to songs she had made up. At the age of 6, she was struck with pneumonia and died. A year later her father commissioned the beautiful grave marker you see before you of little Gracie seated with her legs crossed with her hand atop an ivy coated tree trunk. If you could touch her statue, you would find it warm to the touch, just as a child would be. Regularly, little Gracie leaves this sight to roam town. Many folks have seen her near the sight of the old hotel her father owned. The staff still hear her laughing or crying as though she never left. People have seen her playing in the bushes of Johnson square and it is often noted that she doesn’t look like some spectral figure, she looks like a real child in a white dress… until she disappears. Gracie is of course often seen throughout the cemetery and folks say they have a happy feeling when she is around. But don’t mess with Gracie’s toys. Visitors often leave toys and trinkets for her, but if you take one, her statue will begin to cry tears of blood.

This way you will see a large angel statue. The expression on her face is one of peaceful joy, but at any point that could change. We regularly get reports of different expressions, sadness, anger, happiness, on her face.

Over here you will see the statue of Corinne Elliot Lawton. When she was just 19 years old, she fell in love with a man that her family would never approve of. Corinne was forced to marry a man much wealthier and more prevalent in society. On her wedding night, poor Corinne flung herself into the river and drowned. These days, folks find her wandering through the cemetery looking for her lost love.

If we walk a little further this way, we will find the grave of Jesse Mckethan. In life, Jesse murdered a 17-year-old boy he was in love with. They got into a fight one night over a picture and Jesse beat him over the head and strangled him, before dragging him underneath his own house and going to bed. The following day after going to work, he came home, dismembered the body and dumped each piece in a different vacant lot. In death, let’s just hope not to wake him.

Let’s pick up the pace a little, as it is getting close to midnight, and we don’t want to be here at midnight… We are going to go right this way to see the grave of the clergyman who thrust himself into the Wilmington River, so that he may be buried here in Bonaventure cemetery, as it was the only place he could find peace (snarl)

Oh, no…Um (snarl)

Ladies and gentlemen, we have officially overstayed our welcome. The sound you hear is the hell hounds and they do not want us here. Please move quickly this way towards the cemetery gates, if you run, they will chase you, and you will not see them coming… (dogs barking)

*This story may or may not be based on true events and is part of our annual Hauntober series.