Greenwich Cemetery (Savannah, Georgia)
| Greenwich Cemetery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1933[1] |
| Location | 330 Bonaventure Road Savannah, Georgia, United States |
| Coordinates | 32°3′5″N 81°2′22″W / 32.05139°N 81.03944°W |
| Type | Public municipal |
| Owned by | City of Savannah |
| Size | 65-acre (263,000 m2)[1] |
| Website | Greenwich Cemetery |
| Find a Grave | Greenwich Cemetery |
Greenwich Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, east of Savannah, Georgia.[2] It stands on the site of the former Greenwich Plantation and became an addition to Bonaventure Cemetery (itself on the former grounds of Bonaventure Plantation) in 1933,[3] and it is the newest of the city's four municipal cemeteries.[2]
The entrance to the cemetery, located at 330 Bonaventure Road, is shared with Bonaventure Cemetery.[2] Immediately inside the gates is the large and ornate Gaston Tomb of William Gaston.
History[edit]
In 1896, long after Greenwich Plantation was demolished, naval stores magnate Spencer P. Shotter purchased the land and built a Beaux-Arts mansion and extensive gardens. The house and grounds were used in several silent films (including Stolen Moments)[4] before the house burned to the ground in 1923.[5] The City of Savannah purchased the land in 1933.[6] With it came fourteen of Shotter's statues, which the city placed into storage. They remained stored until 1965, at which point they were loaned to Savannah's Telfair Museums.[5] In 2020, the city approved the sale of sixteen of the statues,[7] with a collective price tag of $400,000. One item was kept because it was part of a set of two, the other part being on display at Telfair.[8]
Greenwich Park[edit]
A 3.5-acre section of the cemetery has been made into a passive park or meditation area for visitors.[2][3]
Notable burials[edit]
- Danny Hansford (1960–1981)[9]
- Cecelia Seiler (1933–2014), wife of Sonny Seiler and co-owner of Uga[10]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Greenwich Cemetery – SavannahGA.gov
- ^ a b c d "Bonaventure Cemetery". City of Savannah Department of Cemeteries. City of Savannah. Archived from the original on 2008-06-15. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b Greenwich Cemetery Park – EMC Engineering, Inc.
- ^ "Greenwich At Bonaventure: The Mansion, The Gardens & Statuary, The Movies: Rudolph Valentino-Stolen Moments Shooting Locations – Savannah GA" – Eartfilm.com
- ^ a b "Before Midnight, Bonaventure and the Bird Girl Exhibition Guide" – Telfair Museums
- ^ "Bonaventure Cemetery: An Iconographical Insight into Victorian Views on Death" – SouthernArt.UA.edu
- ^ Greenwich Statuary Stores Pieces – Savannah.gov
- ^ "Savannah City Council votes to sell all but one ancient Roman, Italian statues" – Fox 28 Savannah, April 9, 2020
- ^ Greenwich Cemetery Records – Interment.net
- ^ "Cecelia Seiler, ‘mom of Uga,’ dies in Savannah" – Athens Banner-Herald, June 5, 2014
External links[edit]
- Greenwich Cemetery – SavannahGA.gov
- Greenwich Cemetery Savannah, GA – YouTube, April 1, 2012