“Little Gracie” Watson at Bonaventure Cemetery-Savannah, Georgia

In the ten years since I relocated back to Georgia, I have visited Bonaventure Cemetery countless times. I will always pay “Little Gracie” Watson a visit unless it is later in the day when the cemetery is filled with tours.

Some would say Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil put Bonaventure on people’s radars. I would argue that Gracie keeps it on the radar. (Yes, there are many sculptural masterpieces who help, too. I only ever see crowds around her. Many of those sculptures designed by Gracie’s sculptor, John Walz.)

1893 photo of the Pulaski Hotel featured in the book Savannah Illustrated: Indelible Photographs

Gracie’s parents, Wales J. and Margaret, managed the Pulaski Hotel. Gracie was known by hotel guests. I have read several references where she died before Easter. Easter in 1889 was on Sunday, April 21. She died the Monday immediately after Easter on April 22.

An image of one of the many mementoes left for Gracie

A few years ago, I wondered what had happened to her parents. Sadly, her parents left Savannah and moved to New York. They are buried in Albany Rural Cemetery with no headstones.

Springfield Terrace School-Savannah, Georgia

Located in the Carver Heights neighborhood, the Springfield Terrace School started educating children in the immediate area in 1926. Influenced by the Rosenwald School design, this is the only surviving example of the one-story schools made popular in the 1920s.

It also was known as the Pearl Lee Smith School and the Oglethorpe Charter Academy.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.

William Olliff Farm-Adabelle, Georgia

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, William Olliff built the house for his family in 1872. The late Victorian farmhouse with Italianate details is a rare find in rural Georgia. It’s located near Register and Adabelle.

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