CAIRO- It has been over a decade since Laura Pope Forrester’s first existing piece, Soldier Boy, left the resident artists’ property. However, after years of searching and forging relationships, Soldier Boy was returned to its rightful place, now sitting exactly where Pope envisioned when she first constructed the 10,000 lbs. beauty. 

The 8-foot structure, crafted entirely of concrete and stone depicts a World War II soldier. Commonly referred to as doughboys, Forrester’s lifelike creation details the infantry soldier’s uniform, dating back to April 1917. 

Getting the sculpture back to its original location was no easy feat, considering the intricacy of the work. 

Executive Director of Pope’s Museum Michelle Dean said the staff was thrilled when they first heard Soldier Boy was coming home. However, they had to enlist the help of the community to ensure it came back intact. 

A crane, donated by Tim White, was used to dig up the historic artwork, with both Dean and the staff unsure of what to expect. Dean originally estimated the artwork weighed 3,000 lbs., but as the crane refused to budge it was soon revealed the artwork was much larger than anticipated. 

“When we crossed 9,800 lbs., the crane finally started to pick it up,” Dean recalled. “The crane operator then told me it was registering at just under 10,000 lbs.” 

After picking up the sculpture, staff wrapped Soldier Boy in commercial-grade shrink wrap to ensure the artwork stayed intact for the commute back to Pope’s Museum.

“We still didn’t know the exact condition, so we believed if we wrapped it and it broke apart on the ride home, it was still fixable, but if it fell apart without anything holding it together, we were doomed,” Dean said. 

However, with the help of local resources, the sculpture was safely returned home. 

“Sheriff Earl Prince was great,” Dean said. “We had a deputy at every intersection, with one car in the front and one car in the back.” 

Upon arriving back at Pope’s Museum, Tim Moore of GM Specialty Sales and Contracting had completed the groundwork for the statue to seamlessly be placed. 

Having the original work back home has reaffirmed what Dean already suspected to be true. Forrester’s statues and works are considered to be part of the oldest outdoor art environments in the country created by a woman. 

“I just thank God it was donated,” she said. 

Along with the donation of Soldier Boy, Dean also received fragments of Forrester’s last piece she created. The piece, originally designed to be life-sized, was of a woman after the atomic bombing. 

The graphic work depicts a woman with eye damage and peeling flesh. 

“It was broken when we arrived, but we still wanted all of the pieces,” Dean explained. 

They have since found the piece home with the bust on a display in the garden, surrounded by smaller pieces that would’ve been part of the life-size sculpture. The pieces sit among the sculpted roses Forrester was known for. While not the way Forrester intended for the work to be viewed, Dean still believes the work plays a pivotal role in showing how Forrester pieced together various concrete slabs to make a whole work. 

The donations of Forester’s work come at a thrilling time for the museum, which is currently constructing a new outdoor memorial that will specifically pay tribute to women veterans. 

The memorial is set to debut on March 22, but Dean said it wouldn’t be possible without the help of its donors. 

She encourages those interested in continuing the preservation and expansion of Forrester’s work to contact her at popestoremuseum@gmail.com or by calling 229-307-0037.