Florence Martus and Felix De Weldon: World Citizens Brought Together

Savannah has always been one of America’s great port city. Our maritime history stands second to none. Even the National Maritime Day honors a Savannah maritime event. The day is celebrated when the US Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, left for its trek from our port. So it is no wonder that we have a grand hostess who during her life welcomed all the ships that entered the harbor of Savannah. Her name was Florence Martus and she was known throughout the sailing world as the Waving Girl. For over forty years she greeted, from Elba Island, every ship that came to the Savannah harbor where her father first and brother later served as lighthouse keepers.

She was as much a landmark of Savannah for the world’s sailors as the lighthouse her father and brother kept up. Sailors sent her presents and wrote her letters even though they never could visit her on the isolated Elba Island. But they would look forward to her and her dog waving a blanket in the day and a lantern at night to say to sailors from around the world: welcome to our safe harbor. She never missed a ship, and each ship, as it passed, returned her salute with three blasts of the whistle. She was Savannah’s ambassador par excellence.

Of course romantic legends have emerged about her. She started waving at every ship entering the harbor hoping it would be returning her lover from afar. We men like to think women sit around pining for us. There is no evidence this is true. What she, her family and friends say is she as a young girl, out of something to do, started greeting ships as they came. After the freshness of this idea wore off she did it out of civic duty. The sailors expected to see her so she showed. She felt this was one small act she could do to celebrate Savannah. And because she did her duty for over forty years without fail she is celebrated. Florence Martus passed away in 1943.

Since her death, she has been celebrated in various ways: having a Liberty ship SS Florence Martus made in the harbor of Savannah named in her honor in 1943. In 1999, the city of Savannah named one of its ferries that cross the Savannah River Florence Martus. More importantly the Altrusa Club of Savannah wanted to honor Florence with a monument. They chose the sculptor Felix De Weldon to create it.

Felix De Weldon was one of the greatest sculptors and monument makers of his day. He has over 1,200 sculptures across the world.  He is the only sculptor who has a monument on every continent. His Admiral Byrd bust can be found in Antarctica. He even has a monument of Elvis Presley in that strange continent called Graceland. He is most famous for his Iwo Jima Monument. He also has a noted Monument in Malaysia. It is the Tugu Negara (National Monument); it is a sculpture that commemorates those who died in Malaysia's struggle for freedom, principally against the Japanese occupation during World War II.

He was a well-respected and honored artist. In 1950, President Harry Truman appointed de Weldon to the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. In 1956, he was re-appointed by President Dwight Eisenhower, and again in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy. In 1959, he received an honorary knighthood for his service to the British Crown. Felix de Weldon died on June 3, 2003 at the age of 96, in Woodstock, Virginia and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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In Savannah we have brought together two world citizens. One who seldom left the island where she was born and the other who traveled the world. One who welcomed the world to her hometown and one who constructed monuments worldwide that celebrated persons on every continent. So the next time you travel to the land of Savannah be sure to travel down to River Street and see a monument that still welcomes sailors and now tourists to Savannah. If you look real close one might catch a woman of pride embracing you with her smile. 
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Iwo Jima Monument

Elvis Presley Bust at Graceland

Admiral Byrd Monument in Antarctica