Waving Girl Statue - Florence Martus — Attraction in Savannah

This statue is worth the walk down towards the end of the historic River Street. I first saw this statue 10 years ago and the story stuck with me and now when I go back I always check in with the statue. Th e story goes like this…

From 1887 to 1931, Florence Martus greeted ships entering Savannah by waving a cloth at approaching ships from the lighthouse on Cockspur Island, in search of her long lost lover. Florence Martus, also known as Savannah’s Waving Girl, was born on August 7th, 1869, in Cockspur Island, Georgia. Her father, John H. Martus, was a German-born Ordnance Sergeant at the island’s Fort Pulaski, which is not far outside of Savanah and worth the visit. Her father was appointed to supervise fort repairs after the bombing of the Union. Florence began to stand on the edge of the Savannah River and wave at every passing ship, a habit she maintained for 44 years. She would wave a handkerchief or a towel during the daytime and a lantern during the night time. When ship captains spotted her, they would often acknowledge her by sounding their horn three times. According to legend, not one ship was missed during the four decades she was on duty.

Locals say that in 1887, Florence fell in love with a naval officer who sailed away but promised to return. To help him spot her, she started standing by the river and waving at the moving vessels. Although he never returned, she remained hopeful for the rest...

I saw this unique statue while I was on the Savannah riverboat cruise. I took a closer look after I got off. This statue was dedicated to Florence Martus, who did something so simple but effective. For 44 years, all she did was use a cloth to wave at every ship that arrived in the Savannah port. Most people after hearing this story will have a puzzled look like why was this significant? The significance was that it was a great representation of southern hospitality, you’ll always be greeted even though you’re a stranger. However, it was said that Florence only waved because she was lonely and had...

It's been a couple of weeks since I've been to Savannah, but I can still recall the feeling I experienced when I first saw her from the trolley. There was a breeze blowing that made the cloth she was waving more realistic. The feeling was more a sense of a sweet time and place in which I had never lived. The statue commemorates a woman who lived in the lighthouse with her brother and waved at the boats going by, every day for forty years. I went by later on foot to see up close. It elicited the same nostalgic, innocent feeling I had experienced while passing by in an...