In 1994, John Berendt published his book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. I’m sure you read it or saw the movie a couple of years later. Great read, good movie. The book cover photo was an image of a statue of a young girl that stood in the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. You can read all about her here.
After the book and the movie, the Bird Girl became so popular with tourists that the family who owned the cemetery plot where she stood decided to move her to a safer location. Licensed reproductions of her were made available for sale in various retail venues and that’s how I came to have one in my own garden in Oranda. As you can see from the photo, my Bird Girl has also been through some rough times as noted by the silver duct tape bracelet on her left wrist. She’s also about 4 inches shorter because I buried her that deep in the garden soil in order to keep an errant breeze or dog from toppling her over.
Savannah’s Bird Girl is safe in the Telfair Museum. Oranda’s Bird Girl will continue to grace my garden.