Bonaventure Cemetery is a prime destination for many visitors who are intrigued by the graves of Little Gracie Watson, Johnny Mercer and Conrad Aiken, and its ties to the book and film “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
There’s also a lot of misinformation about the cemetery and those who call it their final resting place.
Erin Mullins, a member and volunteer with the Bonaventure Historical Society, is clearing up some of that confusion with her TikTok as @the.cemetery.lady. Her interest in Bonaventure Cemetery started from a young age.
“I have about 40 to 50 family members, buried out there… I've just been coming ever since I was a kid really. My grandmother used to take me on picnics there when I was little because she used to like to eat picnics with her mom who passed away when she was young. So, I would go out there and do that with her.”
In 2020, Mullins decided to become part of the Bonaventure Historical Society initially because she was interested in the garden club, but also to learn more about her grandmother’s Great Uncle John Walz, the sculptor who did many headstones at Savannah’s historic cemeteries including Little Gracie’s.
“I wanted to like know if they had any documents on John Walz, or if they had a list of everything that he had sculpted, just for my own personal interests.”
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
Credit: Richard Burkhart/Savannah Morning News
As it turns out, Mullins had access to information the Bonaventure Historical Society didn’t have, and the historical society was able to share documentation she didn’t have. She said it’s been interesting learning more about her uncle and his life, death, and burial in Bonaventure.
Mullins had spent some time as a cemetery tour guide for Savannah Cruzers, but due to pregnancy has had to step away from that. Being at home with her children made her realize how much she missed talking about the history, symbolism, and visitor etiquette in Bonaventure. She decided to start sharing her knowledge on TikTok recently and quickly went from a few hundred followers to a few thousand.
“The videos that I posted that I thought were going to be the least interesting are the ones that everyone really liked. I had no idea everyone was so into symbolism in the cemetery. I thought I was weird for that.”
Mullins hopes her videos encourage more people to check out the cemetery but also be mindful of how they visit. She has discussed how leaving certain gifts does more harm than good by slowly wearing away at the headstones or statues. She also hopes her videos educate some people who think the cemetery tours are ruining Bonaventure.
“Those people don't realize that without the tours Bonaventure would look more like Laurel Grove. If they didn't have the funding and the stuff for people to literally be able to fix things, Gracie's monument would be dilapidated because people wouldn't stop touching it, and we wouldn't be able to protect it.”
In her videos, she goes over how to enjoy the cemetery while also being respectful of the graves and the families who have loved ones buried there.
Credit: Enocha Edenfield / For Do Savannah
Credit: Enocha Edenfield / For Do Savannah
“[Time away] made me want to start talking about the actual history and why things are the way they are, how Bonaventure is a place that was meant to be explored and meant for people to come in and admire.”
Mullins still missed giving tours in person and said she's on the list of volunteers to give tours of the cemetery during Bonaventure Historical Society's free tour weekend that is held once a month.
While the tours are free, they do collect donations that go towards helping the historical society continue to maintain the historic graves and monuments.
If you can’t visit in person though, Mullins’ TikToks are still a great way to see and learn about Bonaventure.
Follow Erin Mullins on TikTok: @the.cemetery.lady
To learn more about the Bonaventure Historical Society's tour weekends, visit bonaventurehistorical.org/tours/
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