A Halloween Tale

A Visit To Bonaventure Cemetery

My route to the cemetery was less complicated than I expected. I’d lost my way briefly, but after reviewing my directions, I guided the motorcycle to the small lot by the entrance and dropped the kickstand.

Soon my travels would take me to Florida, but I was determined to visit old Savannah, and more importantly the city’s well known Victorian cemetery.

Some year’s before this road trip, I learned of John Berendt’s book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.” A New York Times bestseller and later movie directed By Clint Eastwood, with Kevin Spacey and John Cusack.

The movie and book included scenes from the cemetery, and I was intrigued by the idea of a visit.

The book’s cover featured an image created by well known photographer Jack Leigh, of an actual sculpture in the cemetery. The bronze “Bird Girl” was created by Sylvia Shaw Judson, a gifted sculptor.

Judson died in 1978, without knowing that Leigh’s cover and Berendt’s book would make her work one of the most recognizable statues in the United States.

I wandered through the quiet cemetery. Winding paths lead past ancient tombs, under gnarled oaks dripping with Spanish moss.

Leigh shot the image late in the day at the cemetery. He had to work quickly, the light fading under the cover of the oaks and their mossy canopy.

In these pre-digital days, he enhanced the image with some dodging (lightening) create the impression of moonlight falling on the “Bird Girl”.

John Berendt was delighted with the image, as were his readers. Jack Leigh’s photograph is believed to have contributed in no small part to the book’s sales.

During my visit, I did not expect to see the statue. Due to the success of the book, the statue had become a frequent stop for visitors to Bonaventure, and had to be move to a nearby museum. Eager visitors were trampling some of the eternal resting places of it’s inhabitants. There was also concern for the safety of the “Bird Girl.”

The movie that followed the book used some imagery that Leigh felt was too similar to his photograph. Having failed to successfully negotiate with the studio, he sued them for copyright infringement. Eventually both sides settled the case to their satisfaction.

Bonaventure serves as the resting place for many of Savannah’s citizens including famed songwriter Johnny Mercer and writer Conrad Aiken.

On my way out, past the amazing stone sculptures, I noted the irony in Jack Leigh’s relationship with Bonaventure.

The well known photographer, who created the eerie and famous image that catapulted the cemetery into the national spotlight would succumb to cancer at 55. Leigh was buried here in Bonaventure Cemetery, resting beneath the stately oaks. Could he have known, while scouting the grounds for his iconic image, that his path would bring him full circle?