Good Ol' Magnolia

Good ol' Magnolia has been around for 170 years!

Beautiful iron work!

Being from Charleston I don't do very many of the "touristy" things, like the graveyard tours and the horse and carriage tours. Last Friday I went to Magnolia Cemetery with my Beyond the Grave class.

Bulldog Tours have a tour at Magnolia called, The Spirits of Magnolia Cemetery Tour, which happens everyday at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm. Use the link to view this tour and other Charleston area tours.

We walked around for about an hour and I got to see some beautiful views and amazing art work on the grave markers.

The overall size and layout of the cemetery is outstanding, many of the grave markers are big very elaborate and others are more simplistic. I did not get to see the entire cemetery, however, from what I got to see is breathtaking. It is hard to imagine how long it would have taken for many of the markers to be made with just a chisel and hammer.




Originally in the 1790s it was a rice plantation, then in 1849 the Magnolia Cemetery was founded and opened in 1850. This is a beautiful piece of land and the layout takes after the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The idea was to have a park feel for many people to enjoy nature while also being able to honor a loved one. Mount Auburn was the first of this kind and soon after many popped up resembling it, as did Magnolia Cemetery.

There are many winding pathways that can be driven or walked, these wind around the two lagoons within the cemetery and it sits next to a salt marsh. The smell of the marsh is never really that pleasant, however, I grew up living on the marsh so I am kind of used to the smell.





When you first walk in the gates there is a building off to the right. This used to be the bell tower and where the grounds keeper lived. The grounds keeper would welcome everyone who came to visit. Many years ago the bell tower came down, today the original bell sits to the left of the building and can still ring. Thanks to a classmate who rang it.

















This sign list what is acceptable and what is not on the grounds and at the grave sites. Even dogs are welcome as long as they are kept on a leash, I did not know this and would not have thought about bringing my dog to a cemetery.














Throughout my visit I saw many live oak trees. I think live oaks are my favorite trees because they live to be hundreds of years old and their beauty is just amazing. In one of the trees I was able to capture a white egret, at Magnolia Cemetery all of the birds there were very beautiful especially with the scenery of Magnolia.

This live oak is known as "Grandfather Oak"

These are some of the first few pictures I took, this is right inside the gates. These sites are not the newest and not the oldest. The oldest grave sites are further back in the cemetery and they still have funerals today. Click here to see the up coming and recent funerals. 

This is the only chapel mausoleum in the city of Charleston. Here individuals who prefer not to be buried underground can have the caskets or urns entombed. I find this amazing because this building very large and there is still room to be occupied. This was located close to the entrance of the cemetery.  

These are my favorite sites I saw while walking around.

This is my favorite site where all three crews of the Confederate Submarine H. L. Hunley. I like this grave site because it reflects the history of Charleston and gives each crew member a nice resting place where they can be remembered.

First crew of the H. L. Hunley

Second crew of the H. L. Hunley

The first crew was not originally buried here, they were reentered March 25, 2000. The second crew was buried here three days after they drowned in the Charleston harbor while doing a test dive.

Third and final crew of the H. L. Hunley

The third and final crew had a mission to sink the USS Housatonic, with the success of the mission the Hunley started to return home when it mysteriously disappeared for reasons unknown and its location was unknown for 130 years. In 1995 the Hunley was located and raised in 2000. The remains of the crew were found and with the technology developed they were able to identify the crew and have a proper burial.

The Hunley can be visited today and with replicas of the submarine you can sit inside and get a feel for how hard the mission was. The museum is located at the old Navy base in North Charleston and with tours you see the real Hunley resting in salt water as a way of preserving our wonderful history.

Fun fact, my dad and my brother built some of the stands the Hunley rests on several years ago.










This is the monument for William Burroughs Smith and his wife Frances Susan Jones Smith, it is my next favorite site because it is very grand and pyramid like which is different from any other monument I saw at Magnolia.

This twig that appears to be growing from the ledge was not always there. There used to be an angel standing there, however, due to time or vandals it is no longer standing. It can be seen inside and I was able to get a picture through the doors.

The front has many different symbols, for instance, there are torches upside down and still lit, this symbolizes life after death. There is also an hour glass with wings over the entrance, this represents an inevitable passing of time or time flying by.












My third favorite is the monument for William and Hattie Bird. She died in 1882 at the age of 44 and her husband did not join her until 1920. The figure on top is an almost life size sculpture of Hattie Bird herself.  I think this is an amazing sculpture and it shows all of the detail.











During our walk Professor Patrick Harwood mentioned that she always slept with her left food exposed from the covers and in the sculpture it can be seen that her left foot is slightly extended and exposed. I thought that was an interesting touch because it is not something everyone would have known.

This the Receiving Tomb, in this building caskets would often be kept while one's monument was being built. The building was starting to fall over until it was taken care of, they added reinforcement to help keep the building up.


























Here you can see the reinforcement rods and how the caskets were stored.

This is some of the damage that can still be seen from Hurricane Dorian back at the beginning of September, however, most of the damage has been cleaned up.

This area was dedicated for Confederate soldiers and there are about 2,200 buried at Magnolia, many of which are in this area. 

The statue below represents a proud soldier who is ready to fight.

This is the house that serves as the offices of Magnolia Cemetery, originally it was the plantation house for Magnolia Umbra Plantation. Since Hurricane Hugo, there have been some structural issues and termite issues, currently it is being restored and they are trying to raise money to help with the costs. 

Photo from Magnolia Cemetery site

I had a great time walking around Magnolia Cemetery with my class. I was able to learn so much from my professor, Patrick Harwood. 

We took this group photo at the Parker exedra monument
which is a rare style to find.

 Here are some more beautiful views from Magnolia Cemetery.

This is one of the irrigation systems they used when
this land was a rice plantation.

There is a great view of the Ravenel Bridge!