Entry No. 35 — the Savannah file — filed under: outdoor

The Waving Girl Statue

A bronze statue by Felix de Weldon (the sculptor behind the Iwo Jima Memorial) commemorates Florence Martus, who for 44 years (1887-1931) waved a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night at every single ship entering or leaving Savannah from her home on remote Elba Island — and, per Wikipedia, the statue's own inscription gets her birth year wrong. A Liberty ship was named after her in 1943.

The move: Find the statue along the River Street waterfront, read the (factually flawed) inscription together, then look across the water toward Elba Island and picture 44 years of waving at strangers for no reason but ritual.

• 📍 River Street / Morrell Park, Downtown Savannah
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Morrell Park, River Street, Savannah, GA 31401

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Wikipedia · georgiahistory.com

last checked: 2026-07-20