Visiting Miss Mitchell – Dear Mr. Gable

gwtwpr31 Clark, Margaret Mitchell and Vivien Leigh in Atlanta for the premiere of Gone with the Wind, 1939

This past weekend I ventured into downtown Atlanta to Oakland Cemetary, where, among many others, Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell is buried. A beautiful, peaceful cemetary dating from the 1850’s (the earliest “death date” my companion and I saw was 1861), it contains many Georgia luminaries as well as the graves of 6,900 Confederate soliders.

Oakland3

It is estimated to hold the remains of 70,000 people, which includes some 20,000 that are laying in unmarked graves in a large field on one side of the cemetary. We wandered around for a few hours, pointing out local celebrities, interesting names and peering into ornate mausoleums.

Oakland17 Oakland16 Oakland15

Signs led us to Miss Micthell’s grave, which, since we had entered at the exact opposite end of the cemetary, wasn’t so easy to find!

Oakland12 Oakland10 Oakland11

Margaret, one of the most popular residents, resides near the front, buried next to her husband, John Marsh. She was tragically struck by an off duty cab driver as she crossed Peachtree Street in Atlanta and died of her injuries five days later, on August 16,1949. She was just 48 years old. Buried in her Red Cross uniform, she shares a marker with her parents, Eugene and Maybelle Stephens Mitchell, who rest on the other side.

Oakland9

Clark and Margaret supposedly shared some time together during the premiere of Gone with the Wind in Atlanta. He had wanted to have a few words with her privately and when it seemed they couldn’t get a moment alone, he reportedly picked up the 4’11 author and carried her into the ladies room where he talked to her about the character of Rhett and praised her on the book. Although Margaret jokingly replied during the casting of the film that her top choice for Rhett would be Groucho Marx, she was reported to have been pleased with Clark’s performance.

gwtwpr24