I posted these photos to my Instagram not long ago and the response to this little girl was amazing. Folks fell in love with her sassy gaze, her ruffled bonnet and the whole life-like look that seems to radiate from her. And that’s without posting the whole backstory which I found just a bit ago! Grab your tissues because it’s a heartbreaking but I also feel like we’re keeping her sweet and mischievous life, although it was short, alive…
Sara Little’s story begins at the old Crawford Depot although during her time folks called it the Lexington Depot. Her father, H.H. “Pony” Little, worked there as the train master and by the time Sara came along, Pony and his wife Jessie had been married many years. Little Sara Little was considered their little miracle so you can imagine how adored she was.
A group of Italian craftsmen were in the area teaching locals how to polish the granite from the Elberton quarries and one of them saw a life-sized portrait the Littles had just had painted of Sara. He offered to take it back to Italy since he knew a sculptor who could turn the painting into a marble statue and the Littles agreed, thinking it would be a beautiful keepsake.
But while the statue was being carved overseas, tragedy struck the family. Sara fell ill with what they called “summer consumption” (which is what is now known as tuberculosis). Her grandfather was a county doctor and did everything in his power to heal her but sadly Sara didn’t recover. She died just shy of what would’ve been her 4th birthday.
When the statue finally arrived from Italy many months later, Pony and his wife were heartbroken. It looked exactly like Sara. From the chubby fingers clasped together right down to the tiny ruffles on her dress and bonnet, it was just so her. For a time the statue was kept at home but Sara’s mother couldn’t bear to look at it anymore since the likeness was just all too real and way too painful to see. Eventually, the statue was placed at Sara’s grave in Crawford Cemetery where it still stands today.
Sara’s grandparents’ house is/was near the old depot where Pony once worked and at one time there was a detailed mural of Sara painted on the ceiling but I don’t know if it’s still there.
As for the clothing that Sara is wearing? Jessie was a well known and talented seamstress, and of course she made the most amazingly cute clothing for Sara. Including the outfit pictured here. Just another layer of devotion and sadness for the story, right?
Gosh, Sara was loved wasn’t she? And the amount of grave goods left for her on any given visit is testament that she’s still a favorite of many…
Information via findagrave
I have to give kudos to the someone who spent a lot of time cleaning this stone at Sara’s grave so that it glows so beautifully today. Go give ’em a follow on Instagram!
