Savannah has always been one of the great port cities of the United States. Georgia being one of the original thirteen colonies Savannah has one of the oldest and grandest maritime histories. Therefore they have always been concerned with the many sailors who enter their port from all over the world. One of the most important maritime organizations is the Propeller Club. The national organization was established in 1923 in New York City. Savannah’s Propeller Club was founded in 1933.
 
The Propeller Club is the group that every year celebrates National Maritime Day. They give out at least three scholarships a year to local high schoolers. The annual scholarships are given to students in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation programs and to other college students from the area obtaining a degree and seeking a career in the Maritime Industry.
 
Each month they sponsor luncheons featuring a guest speaker and have an annual meeting for the State of the Port Address co-sponsored by the Georgia Ports Authority. They have erected the Anchor Monument on River Street in honor of sailors who have either died at sea around Savannah or have died while in town. They also erected the Maritime Monument that features a replica of the US Steamship Savannah.
 
The Propeller Club is a sponsor of one of Savannah’s oldest ministries to sailors: the International Seamen’s House. There were two early versions of a home for sailors away from home. The first was Penfield’s Mariner’s church, started in 1831 when local blacksmith Josiah Penfield donated money. (Penfield would also give $2500 to help start Mercer University.) The Church was located on Bay St., a prominent feature was a scaled-down ship with full rigging set into the brick wall of the building, just above the door. It was in operation for 12 years.
 
After Penfield’s bequest was used up several churches formed the Savannah Port Society to continue its ministries. The first meeting was held at Independent Presbyterian Church on November 21, 1843. In 1850 the Savannah Port Society opened a sailors’ boarding house. It opened a new Seamen’s Home in 1898 at 307 E. St. Julian St. They later moved to 205 E. Bay St., from 1953 to 1965. In 1965 the present International Seamen’s House and Chapel were dedicated. In 2013 the Seamen’s House helped out a total of 8,275 seamen.

The Propeller Club continues organizing the maritime community in meeting the needs of sailors and to promote the maritime activity in Savannah. 

Savannah has several newspapers. There are two black newspapers Savannah Herald and the older Savannah Tribune. There is also the weekly Connect which connects to events in the city and a little commentary on the events of the week on the side. There is also  a Latina paper. But the only daily paper is the Savannah Morning News.

But the very first paper in Georgia was the Georgia Gazette. It was established in 1763 by James Johnston, the Colony's official printer. Johnston was a Scottish immigrant who came to Savannah probably at the invitation of his brother Lewis a planter and member of the legislature James Johnston was the royal printer. Royal Printers were appointed by the King of England. The royal Printers were the only printers allowed to print. So the position carried a certain amount of prestige. At first the things they printed were closely monitored by the king’s men. As the colonies grew and developed a little differently from England printers became more bold and printed things the royalty would not appreciate. But Johnston remained a Loyalist. He would never personally challenge the king as other printers such as Peter Zenger or James Franklin (Ben Franklin’s son) did. Both of these men would spend time in jail because of the criticism they offered the king and his royal governors.
Johnston described his publication as ‘public press.’  His job was to provide content for the colonists they were interested in.  He firmly believed that he published information and his job was not to share his opinion about them. The paper was published regularly from April 7, 1763 through November 21, 1765, He printed from his office on Broughton Street. Johnston printed anonymous letters that the king’s men did not appreciate and they demanded he stop. And even though he was a Loyalist he decided whether then comply with the king’s men and not to print these types of letters he would close the paper down. His job was to be impartial even with the King.

While most Loyalists were hung or fled the country during the American Revolution Johnston remained but not in Savannah. After the war having fled Savannah his great skill and craft were in great demand in Savannah. Even though he was a Loyalist he was allowed return to Savannah in 1782. On January 30, 1783, Johnston began a new publication under the name Gazette of the State of Georgia. The reason he was let back in probably was related to his principle stand of printing what the people wanted to read. So even though he was a loyalist he had acted as a revolutionary.

On October 23, 1788 the name of the paper was changed back to Georgia Gazette. The name was no longer associated with the King’s Paper and he could once again use it. In 1789 he made his son Nicholas partner .Its imprint no longer bared the name of the father alone but now read “Printed by James and Nicholas Johnston, Broughton Street.” Nicholas was his father’s son as far as the publishing principles. You printed the news for the people leaving your personal political views out. Many readers of the paper because of this philosophy could never decide if the printers were Federalist or Republicans.

The eagle holding a banner became the logo for the paper. The paper endured one fire that totally destroyed the print shop. It endured Savannah’s rapid growth. But the untimely death of Nicholas in 1802 would portend the end for the newspaper. James would continue the paper for a month after his death until November 25, 1802. This was the date of the last publication.

James Johnston was the first generation of America’s printers. His principle stand helped create the concept of staying neutral in your reporting of events. His printing craftsmanship set a high standard for publishing. He was indeed an American printer. Today his remains are in downtown’s Colonial Cemetery.

​Savannah is known for its good eating and history. So it is no surprise that Savannah has historic restaurants. One such place is the Crystal Beer Parlor. The historic building that houses the restaurant was originally a family grocery store called the Gerken Family Grocery. It was run by a prominent young Jewish man Julius Weitz. He lived with his parents and siblings above the store. But eventually they went into other enterprises and after a few short time owners [sometime in the thirties] it was sold to William ‘Blocko’ and Connie Manning.

The rumor was that Blocko used the restaurant not only to serve food but alcohol during Prohibition. Savannah was notorious for its speakeasies. It was said to be packed with people spitting in spittoons and smoking cigars and maybe even a little gambling. It was a rowdy gentlemen’s club with few women found on the premises.

As far as Blocko was concerned he spent time in the federal pen for bootlegging. Thus the suspicions of The Crystal Beer Parlor being a speakeasy. It is also said his cellmate was none other than a member of the notorious Al Capone gang. Yet another legend says Capone himself paid him a visit at the Crystal. Whatever the truth may be one can only assume by these legends the Crystal was one boisterous place during the Prohibition years.

 It is said The Crystal Beer Parlor was one of the first restaurants to serve alcohol after Prohibition was repealed. Of course this accomplishment would not have been difficult to accomplish if he already was selling alcohol during Prohibition.  

The restaurant known by some as “The Crystal” is Savannah’s second oldest restaurant at eighty-five years of age. The brick outside is common enough in Savannah. But once one enters the back door the charm of the place begins to take over. In the hall are photographs of the Crystal and Savannah’s history covering the wall. Some of the hanging objects are a large shot of the segregated waiting room inside the old Union Station, a snowball fight on Broughton Street in the early 1900s, and sheet music for Johnny Mercer’s “G.I. Jive.”  As one continues inside they find in the main dining room red leather booths and a bar from the thirties.  The Crystal aware of its history honors Monroe Whitlock and A.G. “Smitty” Smith, both of whom were servers for over 45 years. Pictures of the two men hang in the Monroe room named after Monroe Whitlock.

After the ownership tenure of Blocko the restaurant was in several hands and even closed in the early 21st century for a couple years before John Nichols, the Crystal’s current owner purchased it. As a youth he and his father were frequent customers. “My father would bring me here to pick up a takeout order when I was very young,” says Nichols. “He always came out with that big brown paper bag with grease stains on it and I’d say, ‘We’re gonna eat good tonight!’

When he saw that the Crystal had been closed it felt like a part of his childhood was being taken from him. So he decided to buy the place and reopen it. The Crystal Beer Parlor has been reopened ever since for business. This year is marks eighty-five years of one of Savannah’s great restaurants.  

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In the old days River Street was a rough place to be. The respectable only went there if they had business and only during the day time. It was a place with fights, prostitution, drunkenness, and gambling. 

And if you were caught unawares kidnapping. William O. Golding was eight years old when he was on River Street and absconded to work on a ship. In a letter he wrote in his adult life, he and his cousin passed a ship called the Wandering Jew on River Street. He heard Captain William Potter ask his wife, Polly, to select one of the boys. She chose Golding, who was invited aboard and without his knowledge, the ship left Savannah Harbor. 

The kidnapping would become as much a life-giver as a life-taker. He would become a merchant seaman.  He traveled the world at a time when most Americans spent their entire lives within fifty miles of their places of birth. He was kidnapped in 1882 and would not see his home again until a visit in 1904. He finally returned to Savannah in his fifties. He was the epitome of a sailor by now, whose nickname was "Deep Sea.” But he was forced by sickness to live out the rest of his life in Savannah. He would never sail again.

But the sea never left him. The sailor’s life was filled with hard work and not much pay. But the life gave him what he called glorious experiences of seeing the world. When he was fifty-nine, Golding admitted in a letter that he still sailed in his dreams and met his cronies there to swap yarns.

Sometime in 1932 William O. Golding began to document his dreams and his cronies’ yarns through drawings while a patient at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Savannah. Between 1932 and 1939, he executed approximately sixty drawings. These drawing were from his memories of the ships on which he sailed and the ports he visited around the globe. 

One art critic says, ‘His ships are meticulously detailed, and the drawings often include specific information regarding captains or ports of origin. Port cities often appear similar at first glance, but careful observation reveals that Golding included distinctive topographical characteristics of the land.’ Margaret Stiles, the recreation director at the hospital and a member of the Savannah Art Club, was impressed with his works and worked to preserve them.

Stiles mounted his works and enabled them to be shown in various exhibits. His drawings were included in the exhibition Missing Pieces: Georgia Folk Art, 1770-1976, which traveled from the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta to the Telfair Museum of Art to the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia. In 2000 the Telfair Museum of Art organized a retrospective exhibition, Hard Knocks, Hardship, and a Lot of Experience: The Maritime Art of William O. Golding. The Morris Museum of Art in Augusta exhibited his work the following year in the show Maritime Memories.
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Today his work is found in the permanent collections of the Georgia Museum of Art, the Morris Museum of Art, and the Telfair Museums. We do not know much about his life but he is recorded with his wife, Josephine, in the 1940 city directory. He died on August 25, 1943. He is part of the Savannah’s rich tradition of accomplished self- taught African American artists. 

​There have been two great evacuations of Savannah. The first was the British leaving after the Revolutionary War. Savannah residents were so happy to see the British depart that they started a holiday called Evacuation Day and even built a monument to commemorate the event. The holiday is no longer celebrated and the monument was destroyed in a wagon accident.

The second evacuation took place in lieu of General Sherman’s March to the Sea during the Civil War. Savannah was one of the leading Confederate cities because of its port, cotton, and international reputation. On January 31, 1861 secessionists seized Fort Pulaski from the Union government. The Fort had been built under the supervision of Lieutenant Robert E. Lee at the bequest of then President James Madison. The Fort was quickly restored to the Union side in a battle in December. At this point all ships entering or leaving were under Union supervision.

Although Union troops controlled access to the Atlantic Ocean they did not have control of the City of Savannah. The embargo would put severe stress on supplies and contact with the outside world. The city would stay Confederate until the faithful day when Sherman with his troops entered the city.
The second evacuation was the work of the Confederate troops leaving in haste before Sherman entered the city. They were under the command of Lt. General William Hardee. The leadership of Savannah decided to work with Sherman in order for him not to burn the city down as he had done with Atlanta and other places. Savannah had strong ties with Chicago, Boston, and New York leaders. Sherman also knew it would be helpful to have a port in the South on the Atlantic Ocean for the Union to use as necessary, so burning Savannah would not be a good military choice. It is also rumoured he had a mistress in Savannah and legend has it she talked him into not burning Savannah.
Hardee knew he must evacuate or he and his soldiers would become prisoners of war. Also the War was coming to an end but the end had not arrived yet and Hardee knew his troops might be needed
in another battle at another time.
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So Hardee scuttled the CSS Georgia and burned the CSS Savannah. The CSS Georgia laid at the bottom of the Savannah River for more than a 100 years. She has been raised as part of the Port of Savannah deepening project. Hardee notified President Jefferson Davis of the evacuation of 9,089 troops from Savannah into Carolina soil. The different garrison troops surrounding Savanah had been brought into the city the night before and crossed the Savannah River via pontoon bridge on December 21. Hardee unlike Sherman would have no city to offer as a Christmas prize. He only had the retreating troops to offer.

Sherman and his troops entered Savannah during on the morning of December 22. Sherman returned to his old haunt from a previous visit to Savannah: the Pulaski House. A resident of the city, Charles Green, offered Sherman the use of his own home as a headquarters. The residence was the Green-Meldrim House which today is a National Historic Landmark. Sherman’s soldiers were impressed by the homes, monuments and statues of Savannah. One solider wrote home saying: “Savannah is a beautiful city — the finest I have seen in the South. Thank God that I am yet alive, and
permitted thus to end it.”

These many years later Sherman’s March to the Sea is remembered but the evacuation of Savannah’s Confederate troops is seldom mentioned. Maybe President Jefferson Davis was not as pleased as President Abraham Lincoln with his Christmas gift. 

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​The Chicago Defender was once the greatest black paper in the United States. Few know of its connection to Savannah. The founding editor was Robert Abbott November 24, 1870 – February 29, 1940. He was raised here in Savannah (born in St. Simon’s Island) in the old Woodville community.

His father died when he was one. His mother Flora was struggling with other family over custody of Robert. His future stepfather John Sengstacke assisted her in the lawsuit and also married Flora. It was then that Robert moved to Savannah.

Robert Sengstacke Abbott was an African-American lawyer, newspaper publisher and editor. Abbott founded The Chicago Defender, which grew to have the highest circulation of any black-owned newspaper in the country. His new stepfather would become a great influence and help in his development. John was a Congregationalist Minister whose views were progressive. He once wrote "There is but one church, and all who are born of God are members of it. God made a church, man-made denominations. God gave us a Holy Bible, disputing men made different kinds of disciples.” John was an activist working to educate the black population of Woodville a small black community outside of Savannah. Today Woodville has been annexed by Savannah. He also founded a local paper called the Woodville Times. It would be John who financially supported Robert’s education at Hampton Institute in Virginia.

Robert would become a star student at Hampton. He sang with the Hampton Choir and Quartet. It was on a tour with the Quartet to the Chicago World’ Fair that he heard Frederick Douglas. Douglas in his speech inspired young Robert that he would do something to help his race. He was slowly developing the idea of a black newspaper that would be the advocate for the black community in the United States. He earned a law degree at Kent College in Chicago.

On a trip back to Savannah he saw the beginnings of the great Migration of blacks out of the South. This made him realize he wanted to be in Chicago where many blacks were migrating. He saw the possibility of Chicago having a strong black community to support a paper that would work as the advocate for Blacks everywhere.

On May 5, 1905 The Defender the self-proclaimed ‘World’s Greatest Weekly" was started. Its slogan and first goal was that American race prejudice must be destroyed. Abbott began his journalistic enterprise with an initial investment of 25 cents, a press run of 300 copies, and worked out of a small kitchen in his landlord's apartment.

The newspaper would be the greatest promoter of the Great Migration encouraging Blacks of the South to move North. It also exposed lynching, gave a place for such writers as Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes, promoted black politicians, pushed for integration of civil and defense jobs, and basically giving a strong, political, and social voice to the black community.  

Its circulation grew dramatically as the famous Pullman Porters of the railroad distributed it along the cities they traveled and worked. The Defender circulation reached 50,000 by 1916; 125,000 by 1918; and more than 200,000 by the early 1920s. Because the Defender was passed from person to person and was read by four to five African Americans its readership was approximately 500,000. It was the first black newspaper to have a health column, and a full page of comic strips. 

Because of its success Abbott became one of the first millionaires of African-American descent. Abbott founded the Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic in 1929, which is an annual celebration for youth, education and African–American life in Chicago, Illinois. It is also where every politician of Chicago and elsewhere goes to seek the black vote. One of those politicians was Barak Obama as he made his Senate run.

Abbott died in Chicago on February 29, 1940, He designated his Savannah-born nephew John H. Sengstacke his successor. The soft-spoken "country boy" who became a major shaper of African American culture would have relished Hughes's later characterization of his newspaper as "the journalistic voice of a largely voiceless people."  
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John H. Sengstacke, Abbott’s successor, would found and become the first president of the National Negro Publishers Association; now known as the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
In 2008 the Georgia Historical Society and the city of Savannah erected a historical marker in Savannah at the corner of West Bay and Albion streets, where Abbott's childhood home—the parsonage for Pilgrim Congregational Church—was once located. Robert Abbott is yet another black Savannahian whose life influenced the cultural and civil rights of the larger black community.

​One could say that Tomochichi and Mary Musgrove are the founders of Georgia. They were encouraged to settle in the Savannah area years before Oglethorpe by the Carolina colony at the bequest of the Governor. Their settlement of a part of the land between the Spanish and British would help solidify the “Debatable Lands” as being the British.  So when Oglethorpe came up the Savannah River looking for a place to build the first city in the colony, he came to the Yamacraw Bluff where Mary and Tomochichi already had settled.

Not only would Tomochichi and Mary grant him the very ground beneath their feet they would also ensure the colony survived. It would be Tomochichi who would convince the Creeks to let Savannah exist in peace. He would be the peacemaker and ally of Oglethorpe. He would be the voice to let the Creeks know they should seek peace with the English. The Creeks should learn the English ways. He also would guide Oglethorpe where to establish the southern borders of Georgia, where to construct the first roads of Georgia, and when the in trouble Oglethorpe needed him to travel to England to impress the Trustees he went.

Mary acted as translator and go between Oglethorpe and the Creeks. She would also be the hand that literally fed the early colonists with the food from her farms before they learned to grow and harvest their own crops. She was the advisor to the local military of threats that might be coming from the Native Americans or Spanish. She also provided and recruited braves to fight with Oglethorpe or act as scouts. She provided supplies and money to the colonists for their military defense. And more importantly for some, her trading posts were the only place one could find rum in the colony.

Mary and Tomochichi were the forces that ensured the colonists and Oglethorpe’s endeavors were fruitful. A point in fact Mary would remain in the colony for the rest of her life while Oglethorpe went back to England and never came back. Both Mary and Tomochichi would die here in the colony unlike Oglethorpe. Tomochichi would even be buried in the center of Savannah, to symbolically and literally show that he and the Creeks were a part of the new colony. As for Mary she would be buried on St. Catherine’s Island.

So how have these two founders been treated in history? Both would be lauded as helpers not equals to Oglethorpe. Tomochichi’s grave would literally have in a historical moment of irony a railroad man’s monument placed on his grave. Mary would be vilified as a nasty woman when she demanded to be repaid money and land she was promised.
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So it is with a smile that I say if you want to know more about the Creeks of Savannah and Georgia there is a book called Native American History of Savannah for sale.

​As I have mentioned before, just as there are things in our homes we cling to even when they have passed their time of usefulness, our city has things they cannot rid themselves. One of these is the Old Harbor Light. It was once a beacon of light standing on the cliff above the harbor.

 In its day it served to guide ships coming into the port at Savannah away from several vessels sunk in the river channel by the British during the Revolutionary War. The British scuttled these ships in 1779 to close the harbor to the French naval forces.  The light itself was constructed on Savannah’s eastern bay in 1858 as a rear range light. It stood 77 feet above the river level and was illuminated by gas. In the late 1860s the channels through the river changed and the Old Harbor Light was declared unnecessary. There it sat for many years suffering the ravages of time. In 1869 the light was moved a few feet south because it was in the way. The light was refurbished in 1929. It received its current moniker of Old Harbor Light by a mistaken reporter who called it such in an article he wrote in the 1930s about Savannah. The moniker stuck and is still called that by the locals.

 It was turned off during World War II. It was turned off because it was thought it might enable German U-boats and airplanes to better see the harbor and enable them to commit their misdeeds. During WW II the whole of River Street was unlit during the night to help conceal the making of the Liberty Ships. The light was never turned back on after the war.

Elizabeth O’Neill Verner, a Charleston Renaissance Painter, did an etching and painting of the Old Harbor Light which was printed in the Savannah Morning News in the sixties. But through the years despite its decay its presence was never forgotten. Then in 2000 with contributions of $125,000 from the Savannah Morning News and CSX Corporation it was taken down. The rust was removed, repairs were made, it was repainted, and the light was cleaned. It was re-erected and relit on January 11, 2001. Today it sits on the east bluff end of Emmett Park. By its side are discarded old anchors and plantings by a local garden club. It sits in what has become a peaceful corner in our city.
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It stands as a beacon of light to remind us of the old times here are not forgotten. It shows we treasure the old as much as we love the new. 

*
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​​Savannah has been home to many celebrities. Whether it be Academy Award winner Charles Coburn, Stacey Keach of Mike Hammer fame, Johnny Mercer, the Lady Chablis, or Paula Dean Savannah has never been without a dash of the famous. But Fredricka Washington (Fredi) was probably the celebrity known most for her groundbreaking ways. She was born in 1903 here in Savannah. She lived here until she was thirteen when her mother died. At that time she was sent to live with her grandmother in Pennsylvania.

At the age of 16 she went to New York where she was discovered by Josephine Baker. Baker hired Fredi for a cabaret show called the Happy Honeysuckles. Fredi was a talented entertainer and quickly created a dancing career. She danced with her partner Al Moiret throughout the world. Her film career did not start until she was in her thirties. In 1926, Washington was recommended for a co-starring role on the Broadway stage with Paul  Robeson in Black Boy. This was a big break in her acting career. In 1934 she appeared in the film ‘Imitation of Life’. She played the part of a black woman who passed for white. The film would earn an Academy Award Nomination for best picture. Time magazine would rank the film one of  "The 25 Most Important Films on Race". Because of her light colored skin many people thought she would actually want to ‘pass’ and was ashamed of her black heritage. In 1945 in response to a question on the subject she said:

"You see I'm a mighty proud gal, and I can't for the life of me find any valid reason why anyone should lie about their origin, or anything else for that matter. Frankly, I do not ascribe to the stupid theory of white supremacy and to try to hide the fact that I am a Negro for economic or any other reasons. If I do, I would be agreeing to be a Negro makes me inferior and that I have swallowed whole hog all of the propaganda dished out by our fascist-minded white citizens.”

Washington became a major civil rights worker and leader of the black community in the entertainment industry. Washington was among the founding members of the Negro Actor’s Guild in 1936. The organization was created to provide opportunities for African-American entertainers during a time when they struggled to find work. She also showcased the work of other black artists as the entertainment editor for “The People’s Voice,” an African-American publication in New York. The newspaper was founded by New York congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., in 1942.

Because of her role in ‘Imitation of Life’ her sometimes bemused public continued to speculate about how she felt about her blackness. She told reporters in 1949 she identified as black "Because I'm honest, firstly, and secondly, you don't have to be white to be good. I've spent most of my life trying to prove to those who think otherwise ... I am a Negro and I am proud of it.”

Washington, ever the advocate, had an important dramatic role in a 1943 radio tribute to black women, Heroines in Bronze, produced by the National Urban League. She challenged the radio industry in an editorial for the black press in which she discussed how limited the opportunities in broadcasting were for black actors, actresses, and vocalists, saying that "radio seems to keep its doors sealed" against "colored artists." 

Washington was very much a part of the Harlem Renaissance scene. She dated Duke Ellington for a while. She had a short marriage with one of his band members, and was sister-in-law to Adam Clayton Powell Jr. She also appeared with Paul Robeson in several plays and movies. Washington was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame in 1975. She died from pneumonia in 1994 at age 90, and was posthumously honored with a U.S. Postal Service stamp in 2008. Here in Savannah she was honored by SCAD’s Women of Vision Memorial.

In closing I leave you with her words:

I am an American citizen and by God, we all have inalienable rights and wherever those rights are tampered with, there is nothing left to do but fight...and I fight. How many people do you think there are in this country who do not have mixed blood? There's very few, if any. What makes us who we are, are our culture and experience. No matter how white I look, on the inside I feel black. There are many whites who are mixed blood, but still go by white. Why such a big deal if I go as Negro? Because people can't believe that I am proud to be a Negro and not white. To prove I don't buy white superiority, I chose to be a Negro

​Fredericka Washington was a Savannahian who graced the world with her talent and hunger for justice.

* The previous picture above was of Hedy Lamarr and not Fredi Washington. Thanks to the two readers Cat and Filmfan for alerting me to this in the comments.

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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