FAQs • Savannah, GA • CivicEngage

Where is Jim Williams buried?: Jim Williams who was featured in John Berendt's best seller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was NOT buried in Bonaventure Cemetery as the Hollywood production, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, implies. James Arthur Williams (1930 -1990) was buried in the Ramah Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery near Gordon, Georgia, his home town.

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Cemeteries

1. How do I locate a burial in one of the City’s five municipal cemeteries?: The City of Savannah Department of Cemeteries maintains records for the City’s five municipal cemeteries. Information may be obtained from the main office located at Bonaventure Cemetery or from our satellite office located at Laurel Grove North Cemetery. Information is also available on kiosks located on the porch of the Bonaventure Cemetery Administration Building, the gazebo at Laurel Grove North, and near the main entrance to Laurel Grove South. Additionally, burial records can be obtained by clicking on the “Burial Records” link on the Department of Cemeteries web page.

2. Are any of the cemeteries haunted?: The cemeteries were designed to inter and memorialize the dead and it is inappropriate to sensationalize these sacred sites. Please show respect for the dead and their survivors who frequently visit their grave sites. Visitors are encouraged to appreciate the historical and cultural significance of the sites and the people interred there, the cemetery architecture, the scenery, and the natural ecosystems that inhabit the sites.

3. Does the Department of Cemeteries offer tours?: No. The Department of Cemeteries does not provide tours; however, tours are available through private tour companies. Additionally, the Bonaventure Historical Society offers free tours on the weekend of the second Sunday of each month. The Bonaventure Historical Society also offers a brochure containing points and people of interest in Bonaventure Cemetery. The brochure is available for a donation in the Bonaventure Cemetery Administration Office.

4. Where is the "Bird Girl" statue located?: The 1938 bronze sculpture by Sylvia Shaw Judson, photographed by Jack Leigh in 1993, and featured on the cover of John Berendt's 1994 novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was moved toTelfair Museum of Art Jepson Center in 1997 located at 207 West York Street in Savannah since 1997. It was removed from Bonaventure in 1995 shortly after the book became a best seller.

5. Where is Jim Williams buried?: Jim Williams who was featured in John Berendt's best seller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, was NOT buried in Bonaventure Cemetery as the Hollywood production, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, implies. James Arthur Williams (1930 -1990) was buried in the Ramah Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery near Gordon, Georgia, his home town.

6. Are there any Confederate sections in the cemeteries?: Confederate soldiers and sailors are interred throughout Bonaventure, Laurel Grove, and other local cemeteries, including 17 generals who served in the war between the states. There are more than 600 Confederate dead interred in the Confederate section of Laurel Grove North Cemetery and over 500 buried throughout Bonaventure Cemetery.