Florence Martus greeted every ship in Savannah for forty-four years

Florence Martus lived with her mother and her brother George on Elba Island, where George served as the keeper of the river beacon light located a few miles upriver from Fort Pulaski. Beginning in 1887, Florence took up a daily routine that lasted until 1931. She watched the Savannah River for every ship entering or leaving the port. By day, she signaled to the passing vessels with a handkerchief, and at night, she used a lantern.

The ships eventually began to watch for her in return, often answering her signals with their whistles. Because she remained on the island, almost nobody ever met her in person. Instead, the story of the woman at the river beacon traveled through maritime ports across the world, turning her into a legend in places she had never visited. A popular version of her story claimed she was waiting for a sailor who had promised to return but never did, though she lived until 1943, twelve years after she stopped her daily vigil.

The city of Savannah, which names itself the Hostess City of the South, eventually sought to mark her contribution to the riverfront. In 1966, a local chapter of the Altrusa Club established a memorial fund to commission a statue. The resulting bronze monument was installed in 1972 at the east end of River Street in Morrell Park.

The sculptor chosen for the project was Felix de Weldon, who is also known for creating the Marine Corps War Memorial at Iwo Jima. The statue rises twenty feet from the ground to commemorate the woman who spent over four decades watching the water. During the Second World War, the United States Maritime Commission honored her legacy by naming a Liberty ship the SS Florence Martus.