Rekindling the Past

Dan and I might be the driving force behind the rebirth of Pope’s Museum, but South Georgia is not where our story began. Married over 33 years, Dan and I met in Tampa, Florida where “I chased him until he caught me”. It was in downtown Tampa where we began our life together, purchased our first home, a 1920s historic bungalow, and had two of our four children.

Dan was a computer technician, and I was an English teacher and administrator at a private school. Yet we always knew that Central Florida was not where we wanted to call home. Taking a leap of faith at the turn of the millennia, we quit our jobs, moved our two preschool sons to North Florida, and Dan began a career in law enforcement. Looking back, we are convinced it was a turning point for our family, but we did not know it then.

Living in Tallahassee, Florida for two decades, Dan provided for the family through the Sheriff’s Office, while I homeschooled our sons Jacob and Phillip, and worked as an educational consultant. We loved being involved in our community and our church, but most of all we loved being together. Poker and Uno game nights, day trips and hiking vacations in state parks were common ways for our family to spend time together. In 2007 and 2008, our family of four expanded to a family of six when we adopted Talisa and Ben after being their foster parents since their birth.  It was challenging to have two teenage sons and two infants at the same time! It often felt as if we restarted our family just as Jacob and Phillip were preparing to move into adulthood. During that time, I was invited to be a board member of Ladies Learning to Lead, teach classes at a local college and serve on a pastoral staff at a church in Tallahassee where, in all three situations, I was able to use the platform to showcase the importance of women in the history of our community, our churches and our culture.

All these details seemed to prepare us for the journey of a lifetime-restoring an abandoned national treasure and showcasing the trailblazing feminist Laura Pope Forester. What a journey it has been! As we settled on purchasing Pope’s Museum, we were preparing for a quiet life in the country with century old pecan trees, a guest cottage, and a 2 and ½ story older house, that though abandoned for years, had that “character’ that appealed to me. The mammothlike soft pink Japanese magnolias and heirloom camellias were in full bloom, and finding vintage roses under the brambles was a bonus! The arches and split staircase were wonderful, but finding the heart pine original floors caused me to shout with excitement! Having a large historic portico to use for hosting parties under was dreamy, but finding an entire brick patio beneath 28 loads of dirt and trash still makes me beam.

These aspects of the property are distinctive, but as I found out about the woman behind this amazing national site, the pieces all began to fit. Laura Pope Forester was blessed to have more than 4 decades of marriage to a husband who let her bloom in her gifts. Her artwork celebrated family, showcased solidarity, and expressed gratitude. She was a businesswoman who put the spotlight on others. Those principles are our principles as well. Laura’s story has become another page in our family’s story. In leading a group tour of the museum, making you a home cooked breakfast or hosting your wedding, our family will be working together to make sure that the legacy of this site continues.

Elegant. Joyous. Distinctive–