Laura Pope Forester and Pope’s Museum

Grady County · dedicated 2025 · At Pope's Museum, near the corner of SR 111 and Pope’s Store Road, in Ochlocknee

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 Georgia Humanities

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Example

under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

This marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program, administered by the Georgia Historical Society. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

More markers nearby

On the National Register nearby

Pope’s Museum300 ft

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.