This statue of Florence Martus (1868-1943) is well known by Savannahians. It is The Waving Girl, sculpted by De Weldon, the sculptor famous for crating the "Iwo Jima Memorial" or the United States Marine Corps Memorial. The legend is that she fell in love with a sailor and promised to be waiting for him upon his return, but he never did return to Savannah. As far as I know this is just myth, but the fact is that she did great each ship with a wave of her handkerchief at a young age. Sailors began returning her greeting by waving or blasting the ship's horn. She also began to greet the ships that arrived at night with a lantern. Florence later moved to the entrance of the harbor with her brother George who was the Cockspur Island Lighthouse keeper.
Savannah, GA is filled with history and statues. If I ever go back, I will be more diligent at photographing them. I had three young kids with me and along the waterfront there are a lot of stores. I would rather spend my time photographing the sites than shop, but my teenagers felt differently...
7 comments:
what a neat legend, either way. :)
Great looking statue and wonderful story. Hope you are enjoying the last remnants of summer. We are getting that cool in the morning fall-like weather here.
Really enjoyed this statue and Savannah-
That is really pretty. I would love to visit Savannah.
It is a very beautiful statue ... spouses can also can have a different idea of how to spend one's time!
An intriguing story. Someone should write a poem about it. ;-)
Kind regards James.
Thanks for your comments on my blog They're much appreciated.
One of my visits back to Atlanta we will spend an overnight in Savannah, Margaret. I have never seen it properly, after 25 years in GA...to my shame. Your stature here is an appetizer.
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