Bonaventure Cemetery
Savannah, Georgia, United States
Cemetery · established
The Story
Little Gracie’s sculpted likeness draws visitors to Bonaventure, where a child’s greeting is sometimes said to come from an empty space. The grave’s folklore belongs within a much larger, still-working cemetery.
The Hauntings
Kristin Lopes’s account in The Grim collects stories of a little girl’s voice greeting people near Gracie Watson’s grave, though no child is visible. Other tellings describe the sounds of play among the graves. The statue gives those stories a recognizable focus: a child rendered in stone, remembered by name. Gracie’s broader tradition also reaches into Savannah’s Johnson Square, where her family’s hotel once stood. That is a separate setting; this profile concerns the cemetery memorial and the stories attached to it.
The History
Bonaventure occupies part of a former plantation beside the Wilmington River. Purchased for a private cemetery in 1846, it became a municipal cemetery in 1907.
A sense of place.
Visitor Experiences
Have you experienced something here?
This future chapter will bring together stories from the PHASM community. An unexpected encounter, a lingering feeling, or a quiet visit—your experience will be welcome.
Submissions are not open yet.
Sources & further reading.
Plan Your Visit
Enter at 330 Bonaventure Road during the city’s published daytime hours. Remain on appropriate visitor routes, keep out of private family plots and give funerals space. Do not touch the statue, remove objects or treat the folklore as permission to stay after closing.