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Some dispute plan to move Savannah’s ‘Waving Girl’ statue

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By Associated Press 2 min read

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Some coastal Georgia residents are fighting an effort to relocate an iconic statue.

Savannah officials last week approved a plan to move the city’s Waving Girl statue, which depicts a woman who greeted ships arriving and departing the city.

Maritime interests and a developer want to move the statue from a park to a location closer to the edge of the Savannah River, saying mariners should be able to see it.

“Relocation will make it visible from the river for the first time in 20 years,” architect Christian Sottile told the Savannah Morning News.

The Waving Girl, dedicated in 1972, is a tribute to Florence Martus. She lived on nearby Elba Island and greeted ships arriving and departing Savannah between 1887 to 1931 by waving her handkerchief by day and a lantern by night.