Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Miniature Collection at Museo del Pueblo de Guanajuato
Tobacconist Napoleon Statue
“Gold Lamé” by Tony Heaton on display in 2018.
Liverpool Plinth
Xingfu Village Monument
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
U.S. Air Force Capt. Samuel “RaZZ” Larson, F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team commander, passes over the flight line at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, July 9, 2024
Who Swarmed Langley Air Force Base With Drones?
Our producer Manolo Morales would spend his final days perusing the shelves at Book Off.
Where Would You Go to Wait for the Apocalypse?
This event showcasing the bounty of the Traverse City region’s amazing agriculture, craft, and creativity culminates with a Grand Tasting on August 23.
The Atlas Obscura Guide to Traverse City’s Event Season
She’ll get you and your little dog too.
Dear Atlas: Where Can I Explore Witch History Without the Kitsch?

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 Thunderbolt Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

A 19th-century cemetery device to ensure that the prematurely buried would be "saved by the bell."

Thunderbolt, Georgia

Added By
Sydney Rose
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Charles F. Mills Grave Bell   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Charles F. Mills Grave Bell   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
Charles F. Mills Grave Bell   Sydney Rose / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  PushingUpDaisies / Atlas Obscura User
  saenglish / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Although ingrained in the human psyche, taphophobia—the fear of being buried alive—was at a zenith in the 19th century. This fear undoubtedly influenced the appearance of premature burial in stories by contemporary writer Edgar Allan Poe. The horror of premature burial was magnified in southern port cities like Savannah, Georgia, that experienced periodic yellow fever epidemics. The comas of patients could be so deep that the victims were mistaken for dead.

Inventors and entrepreneurs capitalized on this phobia by marketing a variety of solutions to facilitate the resurrection of those buried before actually dead. Many of these solutions involved alarms that could be triggered by the entombed to alert cemetery staff of their need for rescue.

The remnants of one such device can be seen at the grave of Charles F. Mills at Bonaventure Cemetery. Mills was a prominent and wealthy Savannah businessman in the 19th century. A merchant running a line of steamers on the Savannah River, he also served as the president of the Marine Bank of Georgia. Mills was buried in Bonaventure Cemetery on April 11, 1876, at the age of 74.

His grave bell sits atop a pipe rising a few inches from the ground next to the right side of Mills' tomb. The bell was connected to one or more strings or wires attached to the coffin's occupant's fingers or toes. If the deceased awoke, his movements would ring the bell and alert the cemetery staff. Attendants could then pump fresh air down the pipe until the coffin's occupant was disinterred and rescued.

By the 20th century, the widespread practice of embalming obviated the need for grave bells and safety coffins because there was little likelihood that someone could survive that process and be interred alive. However, during the 1800s, grave bells were fairly common sights at the graves of Bonaventure's wealthier occupants. Most were made of tin or base metal and later salvaged for use in military production during World War I. Because of his insistence that it be cast in bronze, Charles Mills' is the last intact grave bell at Bonaventure Cemetery. The grave is located in Section F16. 

Related Tags

Death Bells Gravestones Burial Places Graves Cemeteries

Know Before You Go

The cemetery is open to the public daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no admission fee.

Community Contributors

Added By

Sydney Rose

Edited By

Talbot von Sregor, ssapping1, PushingUpDaisies, saenglish

  • Talbot von Sregor
  • ssapping1
  • PushingUpDaisies
  • saenglish

Published

January 6, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Charles F. Mills Grave Bell
216C Bonaventure Rd
Thunderbolt, Georgia, 31404
United States
32.041639, -81.047446
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Bonaventure Jogger

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Grave of Gracie Watson

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Original Taco Bell Sign

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Georgia

Georgia

United States

Places 219
Stories 15

Nearby Places

The Bonaventure Jogger

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Grave of Gracie Watson

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Original Taco Bell Sign

Savannah, Georgia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Georgia

Georgia

United States

Places 219
Stories 15

Related Stories and Lists

11 Graves With Interactive Elements

List

By Roxanne Hoorn

Grave Bells

Podcast

By The Podcast Team

Related Places

  • The backside of the grave, which features the fudge recipe.

    Logan, Utah

    'Kay's Fudge' Gravestone

    Kay Andrews's recipe was so good, her family immortalized it in stone.

  • Two foam-green crypts with planters.

    Oaxaca, Mexico

    Panteón General (General Cemetery)

    This graveyard boasts a medley of diverse and imaginative funeral architecture.

  • The grave of Florence Irene Ford.

    Natchez, Mississippi

    Grave of Florence Irene Ford

    Florence’s mother built a stairway down to her daughter’s coffin so she could comfort her during storms.

  • Blocher Memorial.

    Buffalo, New York

    Blocher Memorial

    An elaborate memorial to a man local legend says died of a broken heart.

  • A section of the Tophet.

    Carthage, Tunisia

    Tophet at Carthage

    An ancient burial ground believed to have been used for ritual sacrifice.

  • The Rose Hill Cemetery, where Queen Kelly Mitchell is buried.

    Meridian, Mississippi

    Grave of Kelly Mitchell

    The simple gravesite of a Romany clan leader is dotted with offerings, including cans of her favorite drink, Crush orange soda.

  • Joe Byrd Cemetery

    Huntsville, Texas

    Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery

    Inmates dig the graves at the largest prison cemetery in the U.S., the final resting place of both cowboys and Indians.

  • Geneva, Illinois

    Easy Chair Grave

    This carved armchair marks the final resting place for two pals in the Chicago suburbs.

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.