As a part of the expansion of Savannah during The Cotton Boom era, Laurel Grove Cemetery began in 1818, and was opened as a city cemetery in 1853 to accommodate the needs of multiple communities and today is broken into two major sections, called, Laurel Grove North, and Laurel Grove South. The latter considered the black cemetery which became as such, when a major highway was built between them.
Both are famed for their historical figures who helped build the city as we know it today, and although its companion cemetery, Bonaventure often takes the prize for the more famed, many locals consider Laurel Grove Cemetery the superior of the two. Which arguably, from an overall arts stance, it may very well be. If one is seeking to truly gaze upon iron work of greatness, incredible mausoleums, statuary, and a true "Civil War" section or cemetery, Laurel Grove Cemetery more than satisfies.
