Good Hope in Walton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Poppy Lady
← 1˝ mi.
Photographed By David Seibert, June 6, 2009
1. The Poppy Lady Marker
Moina Michael, educator, patriot, and internationally known as “The Poppy Lady,” was born near here August 15, 1869. A granite boulder marks her birthplace. She received her early education at Braswell Academy and at Martin Institute, Jefferson, Georgia. Her first teaching was in a log cabin on her father’s plantation and in an old store at Good Hope. Miss Michael’s inspiration for the Flanders Field Poppy as the memorial emblem came to her November 9, 1918, just before Armistice Day, while she was serving with the YMCA in New York. From the sale of poppies made by disabled veterans in hospitals, millions of dollars are realized annually for their aid. Miss Michael died May 10, 1944, and is buried in Monroe, Ga.
Erected 1958 by Georgia Historical Commission. (Marker Number 147-7.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World I • Women. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1812.
Location. 33° 46.002′
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Moina Michael (approx. 1.2 miles away); Matthew Talbot (approx. 3.3 miles away); Bostwick (approx. 4.4 miles away); Fairplay (approx. 5.4 miles away); Moore’s Ford Lynching (approx. 6˝ miles away); Hard Labor Creek State Park (approx. 7.2 miles away); Mallory (approx. 7˝ miles away); Flat Rock (approx. 7.6 miles away).
Regarding The Poppy Lady.
We Shall Not Sleep (In Flanders Field)
1915 poem by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, of the Canadian Army.
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take
Photographed By David Seibert, June 6, 2009
2. The Poppy Lady Marker
The markers stands in a field on Georgia Highway 83, with few structures nearby; the closest is a power substation.
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
(Submitted on June 12, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This is the granite boulder referenced on this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Moina Belle Michael: the Idea for the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy. From the United Kingdom website The Great War, 1914–1918 by Joanna Legg, Graham Parker and David Legg. Moina Michael is quoted on the referenced page:
“I read the poem, which I had read many times previously, and studied its graphic picturization. The last verse transfixed me — ‘To you from failing hands we throw the Torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flanders Fields.’
“This was for me a full spiritual experience. It seemed as though the silent voices again were vocal, whispering, in sighs of anxiety unto anguish, ‘To you from failing hands we throw the Torch; be yours
Photographed By Wikipedia
3. Moina Michael Stamp
A 1948 U.S. Commemorative Postage Stamp honoring Moina Michael and the Memorial Poppy. She died in 1944.
(Submitted on June 12, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia.)
2. We Shall Keep the Faith. 1918 poem by Moina Michael, written in response to “In Flanders Fields.”
Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet — to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.
We cherish, too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led;
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders Fields.
And now the Torch and Poppy Red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ll teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
(Submitted on November 6, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)
November 6, 2011
4. A VFW Buddy Poppy
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Buddy Poppies are assembled by disabled and needy veterans in Veterans Administration hospitals. Proceeds from the sale of Buddy Poppies provides financial assistance in maintaining state and national veterans’ rehabilitation and service programs and partially supports the VFW National Home for orphans and widows of our nation’s veterans.
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Photographed By David Seibert, June 6, 2009
5. The Poppy Lady Marker
The intersection at which the marker stands, looking south: Moina Michael Road is to the right, and Georgia Highway 83 ahead. The marker is to the left in the photo.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2021. It was originally submitted on June 10, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. This page has been viewed 3,648 times since then and 72 times this year. It was the Marker of the Week November 6, 2011. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 10, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 3. submitted on November 6, 2011, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. 4. submitted on November 6, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5. submitted on June 10, 2009, by David Seibert of Sandy Springs, Georgia. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.
