DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Our next stop after 4 days in Charleston during spring break 2019 was a two-hour drive down to Savannah, our first visit there. In two days, we only “scratched the surface” of this beautiful city. We started with a tour that was highly recommended, led by “Bonaventure Don” Teuton. This was an interesting introduction to Savannah. The tour was really about the history of Savannah and its people, as told by a native son. The cemetery was a former plantation and is on the banks of the Wilmington River. The cemetery became famous when it was featured in the 1994 novel “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and in the movie based on the book. The grounds are beautiful, even though it was overcast and smoky the day we were there due to some large controlled burns by the Army at a nearby base. The tour is definitely worth doing if you get to Savannah.

While doing a little research for this post, I discovered something interesting. John Muir (known as the “Father of the National Parks”) spent 6 nights in the Bonaventure Cemetery waiting for money from home on his “Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf” from Indiana, through Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida. He described the cemetery as breathtakingly beautiful. He wrote a chapter in his book about the walk called “Camping in the Tombs.”

From Wikipedia (see the third photo): One of the most famous works of the sculptor John Walz is the monument he created for Gracie Watson. Gracie Watson was the only daughter of W. J. Watson and his wife, Frances. Gracie became ill with pneumonia and died in 1889 at age six. The year after her death, W. J. Watson took a photograph of Gracie to Walz, requesting a memorial to her. Walz sculpted a lifelike monument of a pensive Gracie lost in thought. Gracie's grave has been called "one of the most visited sites in Bonaventure Cemetery." Gracie's monument is also one of the only funerary monuments in Georgia sculpted in someone's exact likeness.

Note the final photo; this is the Mercer family plot. Here is where Savannah born Johnny Mercer is buried. He is one of the most accomplished songwriters of all time, including having won 4 Academy Awards for Best Original Song. He wrote the lyrics to more than 1,500 songs, including Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses, Autumn Leaves, and Hooray for Hollywood. He also co-founded Capitol Records.

My next post will be part 2 of 2 on Savannah and will be the main part of the city.

Bonaventure Cemetery

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Gracie Watson

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The Wilmington River

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The Mercer Family Plot

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UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Think about going into the tour business, Don!

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Very interesting.

singleshot Loc: Georgia

It is a great trip. I spent some of my formative years on Tybee Island, my Dad was stationed at the Brumby Battery on Tybee Island during WWII. The Fort was deactivated in 1947 I believe,but the remains are still standing. Our last trip to the area was 2 years ago and needless to say,things they-are-a- changing.

tommyII Loc: Northern Illinois

Thank you, I've always wanted to visit the Historic district of Savannah. I really envied my sister, who along with 5 other women, rented a house in the District for a week. Really nice pictures. I think UTMike is right, you should take tour photos. Great job. I look forward to your next series - Part 2.

pixelmaven Loc: Reno, NV

Exception research provided by you on this series. All adding up to a vicarious memorable tour for us!

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thanks for the suggestion Mike. We enjoy traveling and I enjoy the photos on this site from the travels of others so I try to add my photos to the mix.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thank you for the comment NMGal. I don't think taking a cemetery tour would have been at the top of my to-do list. However, it was suggested by the B&B where we stayed in Savannah and was rated highly on TripAdvisor. We're glad we did it.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thank you for the comment singleshot. It sounds like you have significant ties to the area; it was our first visit there.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thank you for the comment tommyII. It is a beautiful place and I appreciate your kind words regarding taking tour photos. Another good thing about Savannah is that it is only a two hour drive from Charleston, so you can easily see both on the same trip. We are going to try to get in a few days on Hilton Head on our next visit.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thank you for the nice comments pixelmaven. I'm glad you enjoyed the tour. I have been spurred on to do a little more research by Mark (srfmhg) who provides excellent background in his posts.

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

A very nice set.

DJphoto Loc: SF Bay Area

Thanks for the kind words kpmac, I'm glad you enjoyed my photos.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Interesting.

kvanhook Loc: Oriental, NC

Very nice shots. My parents are buried there, so we visit each year, unless there is a virus which keeps us isolated.