Gracie's Grave
- Sep 18, 2022
- 2 min read
Near the far southeast corner of Bonaventure Cemetery outside of Savanna, Georgia, stands the grave of young Gracie Watson. The grave is surrounded by shrubbery on three sides and wrought iron fencing on all four. Sitting atop the tombstone is a life-sized statue of Gracie as she appeared in life, immortalized in a photograph given to the headstone's sculptor John Walz.
The Death of Gracie Watson
Gracie was the beloved daughter of the manager of a local hotel in downtown Savanna. At the young age of 6 she contracted pneumonia and succumbed to the illness, passing away just two days shy of Easter in 1889.
Preserving the Grave
Eventually the tombstone erected in memory of young Gracie began to show its age and parts of it began to deteriorate. This process was only worsened by local students rubbing the statue's nose for good luck in school. Eventually part of her nose eroded completely and had to be rebuilt. Soon after the nose was fixed, Bonaventure Historical Society had a fence installed around Gracie's grave.
Gifts for Gracie
Sometime after Gracie's death, there began a practice of leaving gifts for her at her grave. A tradition which continues today. When I visited the grave, myself, I remember seeing a small pile of toys in front of the gate and being told that the toys are for her to play at night with when her spirit supposedly roams the lonely graveyard. If you visit her grave today, you may find anything from a baby doll to a stuffed animal puppy to a unicorn-themed hair accessory, all offered up in hopes that Gracie's childlike spirit will always have something to play with.
I definitely recommend checking out Gracie Watson's grave for yourself (just don't forget to bring her a gift).
Links
If you want to read more about little Gracie and others laid to rest at Bonaventure Cemetery, check out Bonaventure Historical Society's website at https://www.bonaventurehistorical.org/little-gracie-watson/.
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