Bonaventure Cemetery
Bonaventure Cemetery is the oldest and most famous cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. Founded in 1806, Bonaventure Cemetery is a National Historic Landmark and home to some of Savannah’s most important and well-known figures, including Juliette Gordon Low, the Girl Scouts founder, and Revolutionary War General James Oglethorpe. The cemetery also includes monuments to Confederate soldiers, and during World War II the cemetery was used as a internment camp for German and Italian prisoners of war. It is located off of Skidaway Road, south of Savannah.
The Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia is a striking and beautiful cemetery that has been open for over 150 years. The complex is made up of four different smaller cemeteries and a large cathedral. The first phase of the cemetery was completed in 1863 and was designed by the architect William Jay. It is the oldest cemetery in the city of Savannah and is a popular place to visit. Not only is it full of history but it is also a beautiful place to visit due to the natural ancient tree canopy and the unique architecture. It was also the scene of a terrible fire in 1996 which destroyed many of the above ground tombs in the Mausoleum.
It is the final resting place of many prominent figures, from writers to soldiers, politicians to soldiers, and even two signers of the Declaration of Independence. The Griner family purchased the Bonaventure Cemetery in 1868, and over the next 100 years the cemetery expanded outward and upward, with some parcels of land sold to wealthy Savannahians. The Griner family donated additional parcels of land to the city of Savannah, which added them to the existing Bonaventure Cemetery.
It is one of the most haunting cemeteries in the world. It was founded in 1861, and covers over forty acres of land. It was one of the first rural cemeteries in the United States, and was dedicated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Savannah.
Bonaventure Cemetery is the largest privately owned cemetery in the United States. It was founded in 1861 by James Greenleaf (1780-1867) who is also buried there. The cemetery is considered to be the “Crown Jewel” of Savannah and is one of the most visited tourist attractions in town. The cemetery is known for its Victorian garden style. The entrance is marked by a large gateway. The Garden of Memories has an area with over two hundred thousand graves. The cemetery also has an area reserved for Confederate soldiers. The cemetery has an area dedicated to Bessie German, the first woman to receive a pilot’s license. The cemetery was featured as the final resting place for the fictional character Holden McNeil in the movie
The Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia is the final resting place of more than 6,500 souls and still growing. The cemetery was founded in 1847 and is on the National Registry of Historic Places. It is the largest antebellum cemetery in the South and is a registered Historic District. It was designed by John S. Norris, who was also the architect of the magnificent Parisian-style Oglethorpe hotels in Savannah. The cemetery is regarded as one of the most haunted places in Savannah.
In 1822, a group of German settlers acquired a plot of land in what is now downtown Savannah, Georgia and founded the city’s first permanent cemetery. The land was a swamp (and still is, to this day), and the settlers called it the “Bonaventure” (meaning good venture) Cemetery. Over the years, the swamp was drained, the bones were buried and the land was landscaped. Today, it’s a peaceful oasis in the city, well known to locals and tourists because of its amazing variety of trees and plant life, and its many spooky tales.
The cemetery contains one of the largest collections of funerary art in the Southeast. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. One popular attraction is the Bonaventure Confederate Memorial. The monument honors the memory of the Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. It was erected in 1878 by the Ladies Memorial Association in memory of the two hundred and fifty-two Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery. The monument is a twelve-foot high granite obelisk on a granite base. The base is inscribed with the names of the Confederate soldiers buried in the
The Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia features a monument erected in memory of the city’s Confederate soldiers. The memorial was erected in 1879, nine years after the end of the Civil War, and is the only known Confederate memorial to remain in the state of Georgia. It was the brainchild of James R. Randall, a post-war mayor of Savannah who was also a founder of the local chapter of the United Confederate Veterans. Randall’s original design was a large pyramid with a statue of a Confederate soldier placed at its peak. He also planned to build a wall around the entire cemetery containing excerpts from the Confederate Constitution.
The Cemetery was originally the private cemetery of Edward Habersham Boney, Sr. (1776-1858), a wealthy Savannah merchant, who in 1852 sold the five and one-half acre property to the City of Savannah for the sum of $3,000. The earliest surviving grave marker is that of his wife, Sarah E. (Green) Boney, who died in 1847. With the exception of that of James Stephens, a black man who died in 1784, it is the oldest surviving grave marker in Savannah. The last burial in the cemetery occurred in 1971.