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Coastal Georgia Historical Society's World War II Home Front Museum at the HIstoric Coast Guard Station on St. Simons Island
The newly opened World War II Home Front Museum, located in both buildings of the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach on St. Simons Island, recounts how this quiet coastal region was transformed when our country went to war and brings to life the extraordinary contributions made by Coastal Georgia following the Battle of the Atlantic.
On April 8, 1942, a German U-boat 123 torpedoed the SS Oklahoma and SS Esso Baton Rouge just 13 miles off the coast of St. Simons Island, killing 22 merchant mariners. The beach was covered with oil for weeks following the devastating attack on the tankers, but the true effects of the Battle of the Atlantic on our coastal home were much longer lasting. The newly opened World War II Home Front Museum, located in both buildings of the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach on St. Simons Island, recounts how this quiet coastal region was transformed when our country went to war and brings to life the extraordinary contributions made by Coastal Georgia following that internationally significant event.
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Battle of the Atlantic Exhibit at the WWII Home Front Museum
On April 8, 1942, a German U-boat 123 torpedoed the SS Oklahoma and SS Esso Baton Rouge just 13 miles off the coast of St. Simons Island, killing 22 merchant mariners. The beach was covered with oil for weeks following the devastating attack on the tankers, but the true effects of the Battle of the Atlantic on our coastal home were much longer lasting.
Glynn County’s unique and multifaced home front story is detailed by galleries of immersive exhibits and interactive experiences in this museum developed by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society and designed by Gallagher & Associates. The World War II Home Front Museum not only shares an important chapter in Georgia’s history when residents of small communities in Glynn County worked together and sacrificed for the greater good, it tells the story of the brave men and women on America’s home front who supported those on the battlefields in the fight for freedom and democracy. While it illustrates the common experiences of many Americans of military recruitment, buying war bonds, food rationing, and blackouts, it also highlights Glynn County’s significance as the location of three critical wartime facilities, an airship base, a radar training school, and a shipyard.
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A&P Food Store Rationing Interactive at the WWII Home Front Museum
The Museum features an A&P Food Store with rationing interactive, a rotary pay phone listening station, and a war bond stand photo opportunity. Here, visitors are invited to do some grocery shopping to experience what it was like for civilians when food was rationed.
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Do Your Part Exhibit at WWII Home Front Museum
Every American citizen had a role in supporting the war effort and visitors will have the opportunity to learn what their role might have been during World War II with the “Do Your Part!” interactive exhibit.
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Flip Panels Showing Home Front Efforts to Support Troops at WWII Home Front Museum
Americans won the war in part by directing all resources to supporting the troops overseas. Flip panels describe some fascinating examples, including conserving rubber by lowering the national speed limit to make tires last longer.
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Interactive Exhibits Trying Nautical Skills at the WWII Home Front Museum
The Historic Coast Guard Station, which was active from 1937-1995, is a fitting home for the new Museum, as the Coast Guard became an active part of the U.S. War Department in 1941 and played its own role in World War II. Visitors can try their hand at spelling words in nautical code or tying knots, just like the “Coasties” who were stationed here.
Using primary sources, historical photographs, and extensive interviews, the museum recreates the NAS St. Simons radar training school as an interactive gallery. Allowing visitors to see if they have what it takes to become a Fighter Director, or to engage in other interactive experiences like testing their skill at plane spotting, or building a Liberty ship and joining its crew makes history come alive in a way that resonates with adults and children alike.
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Liberty Ship Gallery in the WWII Home Front Museum
Shipbuilding had the greatest impact on Glynn County during the war and artifacts from the J.A. Jones Shipyard are on display in the Liberty Ship gallery. The loss of thousands of merchant ships made the speedy construction of replacement cargo vessels that provided vital supplies to battlefields around the world essential to Allied victory. These were dubbed “Liberty Ships.” In less than three years, more than 16,000 men and women, 80% of whom came to Brunswick from towns throughout Georgia, built 85 Liberty Ships. Visitors can build and launch one of five of Brunswick’s Liberty Ships and follow them on their most treacherous voyages around the world.
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An Engine Order Telegraph from the Liberty Ship Gallery at the WWII Home Front Museum
From the Liberty Ship gallery, an Engine Order Telegraph. Moving the lever on the telegraph communicated orders for change in speed or direction from the bridge to the engine room of the ship.
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Naval Air Station Glynco Gallery at the WWII Home Front Museum
The Naval Air Station Glynco gallery conveys the massive size of Navy airships and their hangars. Brunswick was home to the airships of Squadron ZP-15, which took part in hundreds of anti-submarine patrols in relay-style coordination with four other stations stretching from Maine to Florida. Once the system of airship escorts was fully implemented, the U-boat threat to shipping ceased. This was considered a critical lynchpin to winning the war.
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Naval Air Station St. Simons Gallery at the WWII Home Front Museum
Naval Air Station St. Simons took over the island’s airport and several resort facilities to train fighter pilots before transitioning into the Navy’s advanced radar training school. Navy and Marine Corps officers who showed an aptitude for coordinating complex radar operations were singled out and sent to St. Simons to become Fighter Directors, the officers who used radar to direct pilots to intercept enemy aircraft. Using primary sources, historical photographs, and extensive interviews, the new Museum recreates the NAS St. Simons’ Combat Information Center training room as an interactive gallery where can see if they have what it takes to be a Fighter Director.
Everyone is invited to visit the World War II Home Front Museum to keep the stories of our past as Americans and as Coastal Georgians alive. The museum is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for ages 6-12, children under 6 and Coastal Georgia Historical Society members are admitted free of charge. There is a $2 military discount with ID. Visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org for more information and volunteer opportunities.
