Wait and Hope was what was inscribed on this headstone in the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. Pam and I visited this cemetery on our recent trip through South Carolina and Georgia with our house guest and two dogs. After our visit with my sister in South Carolina, we headed further south and stayed in Savannah.
We did a late night ghost tour of downtown Savannah and then manged to solve an escape room with only 1 second to spare. We stopped at another cemetery on our trip which surrounded a former church which only has the old brick work to remind us that the church once stood there.
Little Gracie is the most visited monument in Bonaventure Cemetery. I considered sketching her but she is surrounded on three sides by hedges making for a cramped view of the site. Gracie Watson was born in 1882 to Wales J. and Margaret Frances Watson. The Watson family was originally from Boston Massachusetts. They made their way to Savannah after Wales was hired to manage the Pulaski Hotel. This luxurious hotel, was one of the best hotels in all of the south. Managing the hotel was a prestigious position. While working at the hotel his daughter, Gracie Watson, became quite the center of attention. This bright-eyed girl warmed the hearts and brought smiles to the faces of almost every visitor to the Hotel. It is said she would put on little shows for the guests, dancing in the lobby and singing songs. In 1889, at the tender age of 7, Gracie Watson died from pneumonia.
Gracie’s father fell into a deep depression after her death. Gracie’s father had sculpture John Walz carve a monument to his girl. Using a photograph as reference John Walz sculpted the monument which now sits upon Little Gracie’s grave site out at Bonaventure Cemetery.
While Pam and our guest walked the dogs, exploring the cemetery, I sketched a short distance from Gracie. Periodically golf carts would drive up and a tour guide would relate Gracie’s story. I was kind of glad I didn’t sketch that site since it was so busy. Lawn mowers and leaf blowers were also moving up and down the aisles. I didn’t bring my artist stool, so I made due by tying my sweatshirt around my legs and back to create a make shift back support. It worked well enough to help me finish the sketch.