Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
Though they’re protected inside the park, wolves can be killed when they cross its borders.
Wolves Have a Bad Reputation. One Yellowstone Naturalist Is Trying to Fix It.
Passersby stop to admire the punny offerings of Brooklyn’s only dinosaur bodega.
We Visited the Dino Bodega in (Jurassic) Park Slope
Native Americans have a longstanding, rich, and vibrant culture in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s Sacred Landscapes: A Journey Through Native American History

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Georgia Savannah Grave of Corinne Elliot Lawton

Grave of Corinne Elliot Lawton

This haunting tombstone comes complete with a heartbreaking story of love and loss.

Savannah, Georgia

Added By
Scott Spencer
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
  polaroid667
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  gritsandmoxie / Atlas Obscura User
Corrine Elliot Lawson gravesite   colliefetcher / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  polaroid667
  Scott Kublin
Corrine with pupils in her eyes (2007)   Dawn Mueller-Daggerdoll Productions- All Rights Reserved
Corinne during Christmas Season 2016   alysonsousa1 / Atlas Obscura User
Jesus looking on   BoroBlackburn / Atlas Obscura User
  BoroBlackburn / Atlas Obscura User
Gravestones just behind Corinne Elliot Lawton’s memorial. 30JUN17   andresrluz / Atlas Obscura User
Threshold of the Lawton Family plot. 30JUN17   andresrluz / Atlas Obscura User
Detail of Corinne Elliot Lawton memorial, 30JUN17   andresrluz / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  wolfnotes / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  Jewels751 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Born: September 21, 1846 Died: January 24, 1877

Her name was Corinne Elliott Lawton, and she is buried at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. She was born into privilege, coming from the very wealthy and proud family of Brigadier General Alexander Robert Lawton, CSA, Civil War.

As the legend goes, when Corinne was of age, she met and fell in love with a man who was "beneath her station" in society. Her parents were dead set against her getting married to someone from "across the tracks,” and made arrangements for Corinne to marry a wealthy man of Savannah Society.

After meeting the man her parents wanted her to marry, she told them that she could never love him, to which her father sternly told her, "You will LEARN to love him...or you will learn your station!" Time passed, and all the arrangements were made for the wedding: the gown, the church, the bridesmaids, the best man, the floral arrangements. She had sadly given up, and been drained of hope.

The story goes on to say that one day before the wedding, despondent and heartbroken, she rode her father's best horse to the banks of the Savannah River, leaped in and drowned herself in a final act of defiance. Angry and griefstricken, her parents had Corinne buried outside the family plot, then commissioned famous sculptor Benedetto Civiletti from Palermo, Sicily, to create her statue. She is depicted as sitting by a cross wearing a long gown with one shoulder bare. Her eyes have no pupils, a garland has slipped from her hand, and she looks as sad and lost as she seemed to be in life.

Some consider her monument's position to be a familial jab. Her statue faces away from the Lawton family plot, a lifesize sculpture of Jesus Christ smiling at her back. It's a scandalous tale that's often repeated on cemetery tours and in passing, but it is more than likely just creative fiction.

Corinne Elliot Lawton most likely came to her premature end after a "short illness" — just as her obituary read. There is no mention in her mother's diary about an ill-fated love affair, or any shame brought to the family in the wake of her daughter's death. The position of her monument in relation to that of her family's is probably due to the fact that her grave was relocated to Bonaventure after the death of her parents (who also had the statue of Jesus erected in their name).

Related Tags

Natural Wonders Statues Catacombs And Crypts Gravestones Nature Graves

Community Contributors

Added By

Ghoster

Edited By

mercier, eicats, dollymaedagger, andresrluz...

  • mercier
  • eicats
  • dollymaedagger
  • andresrluz
  • alysonsousa1
  • BoroBlackburn
  • Collector of Experiences
  • PushingUpDaisies
  • Jewels751
  • wolfnotes
  • colliefetcher
  • gritsandmoxie

Published

March 21, 2013

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/dollymae/907579629/in/set-72157601025706151
  • http://dreamingcasuallypoetry.blogspot.com/2013/09/corinne-elliot-lawton-what-really.html
Grave of Corinne Elliot Lawton
330 Bonaventure Rd
Savannah, Georgia, 31404
United States
32.056374, -81.047864
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Bonaventure Jogger

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Grave of Gracie Watson

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

Thunderbolt, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Savannah

Savannah

Georgia

Places 30
Stories 1

Nearby Places

The Bonaventure Jogger

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Grave of Gracie Watson

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

Thunderbolt, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Savannah

Savannah

Georgia

Places 30
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Henry Croft.

    London, England

    Gravestone of Henry Croft

    A statue of the original Pearly King is hidden in a church's crypt.

  • Brooklyn, New York

    Minerva Monument

    A curious friendship between two inanimate ladies.

  • Statue of Anita Garibaldi

    Rome, Italy

    Anita Garibaldi Monument

    The Italian revolutionary's legendary wife is portrayed on horseback waving a gun and holding her child in this memorial on the Janiculum.

  • Sligo, Ireland

    Grave of W. B. Yeats

    This cemetery overlooking the Benbulben rock formation is the final resting place of one of Ireland's most beloved poets.

  • Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

    Grave of Caroline Walter

    Flowers have mysteriously appeared on her effigy every day for the last 150 years.

  • Moriarty Monument.

    New Orleans, Louisiana

    Moriarty Monument

    The tallest monument in a historic New Orleans cemetery was prompted by romance and dash of pettiness.

  • Grave of Elizabeth Barrett Browning.

    Florence, Italy

    The English Cemetery

    Many famous English poets including Elizabeth Barrett Browning are laid to rest at this Swiss-owned cemetery in Florence.

  • Synevyr Lake.

    Mizhhirs'kyi district, Ukraine

    Synevyr Lake

    This stunning mountain lake was named for a pair of tragic lovers whose statues stand at the center.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.