51 Cemeteries Project: # 44 Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah GA

I wasn't alone in taking pictures at the Bonaventure Cemetery on the outskirts of Savannah, Georgia. The cemetery is not only popular among tourists for it's old headstones, but it is the cemetery in the book and movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." The cemetery is located on the Wilmington River and is the largest municipal cemetery in Savannah.

This was one of the most moving graves/statues I've come across so far in the cemetery project. Gracie Watson's father W.J. Watson, managed a hotel in downtown Savannah called the Pulaski House in the 1880s. Gracie lived at the hotel with her mother and father. Gracie became known as the "star of Pulaski house" as she charmed the guests (many of them returning guests) with her beauty and playfulness. At the age of six, Gracie contracted pneumonia and two days after Easter died. Her devastated father, before he left Savannah for good, commissioned Savannah artist John Waltz to design this sculpture, which more than 100 years after her death, still has a regular visitors paying their respects to little Gracie Watson.

For more info about Bonaventure Cemetery check out this web site: http://www.bonaventurehistorical.org/

Circular Church Cemetery, Charleston SC

Because Charleston is known for it's ghosts and cemeteries, I decided to break format and post two cemeteries from the same state. Circular Church Cemetery is located in heart of downtown Charleston, and is one of the oldest cemetery in Charleston. This first picture sums up how the years have not been kind to a number of head stones.

For more info Circular Church, you can check out their web site @ http://www.circularchurch.org/

51 Cemteries Project: #45 Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston SC

Magnolia Cemetery is located on the banks of the Cooper River in historic Charleston South Carolina. The cemetery was established in 1850 and is located on the site of a former rice plantation. It is the final resting place for a number of Southern leaders and hundreds of Confederate soldiers and Generals.

In the distance is the very impressive Cooper River Bridge which was built in 2005.

Want more info on Magnolia Cemetery? It's web site is www.scocr.org/Links/MagnoliaCemetery.htm

51 Cemeteries Project: #46 Green Mount Cemetery, Baltimore MD

Green Mount Cemetey is located a couple of miles from downtown Baltimore. It was established in 1838, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. John Wilkes Booth is buried here,

For more info on this cemetery, check out their web site @ http://www.greenmountcemetery.com/

51 Cemeteries Project: # 47 Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadephia PA

Laurel Hill Cemetery overlooks the Schuylkill River in the East Falls Neighborhood of Philadelphia. The cemetery was founded in 1836 and is spread out into three sections over 78 acres. For residents of the city of brotherly love, the cemetery has a number of events, tours and programs throughout the year. For more info check out their web site: http://www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org/

As I walked through this very historic cemetery, I was very surprised to come upon the grave of the famed Philadelphia Phillies play by play announcer Harry Kalis. Kalis passed away unexpectedly last year (2009) on opening day on the road in Washington DC at Nats Stadium. The year before (2008), Kalis was on the mike when the Phillies won the World Series, only their second championship teams history. Outside of Philly, Kalis was probably better known as the voice of NFL Films.

51 Cemeteries Project: #48 Historic Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh NC

Established in 1869, Historic Oakwood Cemetery is located close to the North Carolina state capitol in Raleigh. The cemetery contains as special area for Confederate soldiers, where close to 1500 soldiers are buried.

I visited the former Senators grave three weeks before he died.

The 102 acre cemetery is Raleigh's oldest, private, and non-profit cemetery. For more information check out their web site: http://www.historicoakwoodcemetery.com/

51 Cemeteries Project: #49 Evergreen Cemetery, Fort Lauderdale FL

The Evergreen Cemetery is located downtown Fort Lauderdale and was established in 1910. Even though it's only 100 years old, according to Broward County Cemetery Records web site, it's the oldest "intact" cemetery in the county.



The cemetery is next to an inlet, and there were a few dozen colorful ducks and geese roaming the grounds of the cemetery on this late afternoon January day.