“ Just like these sewing machine legs are strong and beautiful and have more than one use , she was advocating a cultural shift to acknowledge that women are strong and beautiful and have more than one use .”
“ I ’ m incredibly excited , if you can ’ t tell , I ’ m so passionate , because I love the military . I love the community . I definitely believe that men and women are equally necessary , not the elimination of either one ,” she said . “ We both have skill sets that make for a successful America .”
With support from local tourism agencies , such as Explore Georgia , and local counties all lending their aid , Dean said that they are proud of how far they have come , but they are just getting started .
“ We ’ re really proud and we ’ re just getting started ,” she said .
The oldest piece on the site is Forester ’ s memorial statue to the efforts of the Red Cross nurses of World War I , created in 1920 .
“ Circa 1938 , Laura added the second story and the balcony , so it was definitely done before 1940 . At that time , the only job a woman could have after she was married was working in the textile mills that were all over south Georgia ,” Dean said . “ So , Laura took concrete , globs of concrete , Model-T wheels and sewing machine legs . And she made the entire balcony out of sewing machine legs to show , and this is her message , just like these sewing machine legs are strong and beautiful and have more than one use , she was advocating a cultural shift to acknowledge that women are strong and beautiful and have more than one use .”
Dean said that her excitement at getting to bring Forester ’ s home back to life and give it the attention it deserved was exciting , saying that she truly felt aligned with Forester ’ s beliefs and core values .
Forester also made statues of mothers-in-law , grandmothers and children .
14 Spring 2023 | Thomasville Scene