On a recent trip to Savannah, Georgia, I became engrossed in her rich history from the 1800s to the not so distant past. It is said that Savannah is one of the most haunted cities in America, if not the world, and a great deal of the tourism is fed by Savannah's unabashed zeal for telling tales of ghosts and her haunted past to everyone who visits their fine city.
Tour trolleys and horse-drawn carriages abound and seem to be turning every corner of the city squares as they take curious onlookers through the historic district weaving their tales of haunted houses, hidden indian burial grounds, and the eccentricities of Savannah's social elite.
I found it all to be quite captivating as I was drawn into the web of her lore when visiting the Bonaventure Cemetary.... and walking amidst the ghosts in the graveyard for Savannah's own high society, where some were called to the grave before their time. Tour guides also revealed that they even have an above ground cript for visitors should they meet their demise while passing through Savannah, but they will gladly give you up should family want to lay claim to your remains.
While venturing into Bonaventure Cemetary I took several digital photos as I wanted to have a record of my visit to this ghostly graveyard. The tombstones were etched from stone and were marvelously detailed. Statues of angels and sad little girls, as well as the grave markers that stood tall behind wrought iron gates. I wasn't quite sure if the wrought iron was there to keep the visitors out or the ghosts and apparitions in....? Tall oaks with moss weeping from their limbs seemed to reach out to pull you in as they created a leafy veil to keep the sun out and the dark shadows in. It truly would have been a scary place at the midnight hour.
One of the famed statues of the graveyard "The Bird Girl", no longer resides at the Bonaventure Cemetary, as she has been preserved and is now in the Telfair Museum on Telfair Square. "The Bird Girl" statue became famous and was safely tucked away after she was featured on the cover of John Berendt's book, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" that was written in 1994, a true story written about some of Savannah's most eccentric society (movie also on DVD). I would have loved to take my own picture of the statue in it's true setting, but alas, that was not possible.
However, I did take a few digital photos in and around the squares of some "haunted houses" and, of course, the Bonaventure Cemetary, which I would like to share with you. As in some of my other webpages on picture-pizzazz.com, I will show you some before and after shots so you can see the dramatic differences. What was really cool was that some of the before pictures look as haunting as some of the after pictures. I'll let you be the judge!
Bonaventure Cemetary in Savannah, Georgia
Haunted House in Savannah!
This church, "John the Baptist Cathedral", was said to have sent exorcists to rid evil spirits from some of Savannah's haunted houses, but whose to say?
Editing the digital photos to make them feel, perhaps a little more mysterious was an enjoyable challenge!
