The Georgia Historical Society will hold a dedication for a new historical marker: Laura Pope Forester and Pope’s Museum. The dedication will take place on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., at Pope’s Museum, 192 Pope’s Store Road, in Ochlocknee, Georgia. The event is open to the public.

The dedication site is located near the corner of SR 111 and Pope’s Store Road. Parking will be available onsite at the museum.

The historical marker reads:

Laura Pope Forester and Pope’s Museum

Self-taught artist Laura Pope Forester (1873-1953) used hand-mixed mediums and everyday objects to fill her property with more than 200 sculptures, dozens of murals, and architectural embellishments. Many sculptures showcased the contributions of women in history by portraying women religious, patriotic, and literary figures. Her artwork also depicted her support of the nuclear family and American military. In 1924, Pope Forester informally opened her home for public visitation, later establishing it as “Pope’s Museum.” After her family sold the property in 1975, the museum closed, and much of the artwork was destroyed. Pope Forester and her art have since gained national recognition. Restored and reopened in 2019, the property is among the oldest documented art environments in Georgia and the Southeast and is believed to rank among the oldest documented extant art environments in the US.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, the City of Cairo, Grady County Board of Commissioners, and the Georgia Humanities