The Lesser Visited Laurel Grove Cemetery

Laurel Grove Cemetery in Savannah consists of two cemeteries, the north for white people and the south for slaves and free black people. The cemetery contains many graves of soldiers from the Civil War, along with a few noteworthy people we had been hearing about during our stay in Savannah. Once the Colonial Cemetery in the city filled up, Laurel Grove was established on the site of the former Springfield Plantation.

There seems to be a little bit of vandalism here as well.

The Waving Girl grave...I love her story (or stories, as you hear a few different versions).

There are many theories about the origin of slave tiles. Some say they were made by slaves on various plantations and each plantation had a signature mark on them. Others say they are just ornamental garden tiles used for decorating cemetery plots or gardens. Either way, original terra cotta tiles are in demand and are often stolen from the cemeteries.

This was a lovely statue with the draped cloth to indicate mourning. This gentleman was quite unlucky with wives, losing two in six years.

I loved how this old tree had grown right over the fence...

This gate has been well preserved and has an angel who appears to be hiding his head in his arm in sorrow.

She looks so much like one of John Walz's monuments in Bonaventure. I looked for a signature, but couldn't see one.

Soon this headstone will be swallowed up by the Spanish moss...

James Pierpont and Juliette Gordon Low...we had heard so much about them, we had to go find their graves.

This was a very interesting monument; almost like someone was begging for forgiveness.

James Pierpont was the composer of Jingle Bells, although he called it One Horse Open Sleigh.

The members of the George Anderson family, one of whom was a mayor of Savannah, are in this mausoleum.

A mossy fence...

This lovely angel has also been a target of vandalism as evidenced by the missing fingers...

Three children were listed on the monument on the right, none of whom lived past two years of age.

These people appear to have been important or wealthy...

Francis Bartow was an attorney, a colonel and a politician...the name was prominent on the cemetery signs, so we knew he must have been someone fairly significant.

This mausoleum is slowly disintegrating...

Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of America. Her home in the city was being restored last year when we were in Savannah, and when we arrived this year, it was still obscured by scaffolding.

Another lovely mausoleum...

Oh, the time you could spend here. Next time we'll check out the south cemetery.