World War II Home Front Museum

10/02/2026

The Coastal Georgia Historical Society is saddened to hear of the passing of Katharine "Kappy" O'Connor. A lifelong resident of Coastal Georgia, Mrs. O'Connor was a beloved member of the Jones family and the St. Simons and Sea Island communities. Her experience during World War II, when she served as a young volunteer for the Aircraft Warning Service (AWS), is a cornerstone of CGHS's World War II Home Front Museum.

Under the compass rose in the tower of the Sea Island Administration building, seven-year-old Kappy and her mother Kit Jones looked for the silhouettes of enemy and friendly airplanes. As Kappy later described it, "if we spotted a plane, we’d say, ‘high, bi’ for the altitude and two engines. To me, it was a game." Her contribution to Allied victory in World War II inspired the Home Front Museum's "plane spotting" game, which continues to captivate new generations of museum visitors.

The compass rose from the Sea Island Administration building's tower is pictured here, along with Kappy, second from right in the front row, with other members of the Jones family at the launch of the SS Howard E. Coffin, Liberty Ship 24.

08/31/2026

Rain rain go away ⛈️

08/26/2026

The United States Coast Guard has a long history of working with animals. During World War II, horses and dogs were used operationally. As German spies landed on East Coast beaches, USCG beach patrols were established alongside the first Coast Guard dogs. While over 3,000 dogs served during the war, 9 dogs and 20 Coast Guardsmen were assigned to NAS St. Simons for guard duty. Trained in Philadelphia, these dogs tracked and intercepted spies, alerted handlers to contraband, and conducted beach patrols. 🐕🐾

Throughout its history, the Coast Guard Canine Program has evolved and remains just as critical to our national security today as they did when the first dogs went into service in World War II over 80 years ago!

Georgia WWII Heritage Trail Coastal Georgia Historical Society Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce The National WWII Museum

07/28/2026

Coming to a school near you this year!

The CGHS History Traveling Trunks, funded by the Terry Thomas Foundation, will highlight WWII Home Front topics from communication and propaganda to women and African Americans in wartime industries.

Stay tuned for reservation information!
Coastal Georgia Historical Society Georgia WWII Heritage Trail

07/10/2026

🚨ATTENTION TEACHERS 🚨 Sign up NOW!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdFvQ754FTWPFeF6TdFOUuIR90qqH_OnEYT6yQ9QxkI_7DjQ/viewform

🚨ATTENTION TEACHERS 🚨


Are you a Glynn County Social Studies or History educator? Thanks to a generous gift from Georgia-Pacific, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society invites you to spend a few hours with us before summer ends for a free open house just for teachers!

On Monday, July 27 from 10 am - 2 pm, join us at the A. W. Jones Heritage Center as we share information on our school tours, educational resources, one-of-a-kind historical documents and artifacts, and more.

Space is limited, so register now to reserve a spot. Please RSVP by the end of day on July 20th. Your participation will help shape exciting new educational initiatives at CGHS. Lunch will be provided.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdFvQ754FTWPFeF6TdFOUuIR90qqH_OnEYT6yQ9QxkI_7DjQ/viewform

07/02/2026

📜This weekend marks #250 years of the document that became the foundation of the new United States: The Declaration of Independence. Two and a half centuries after its adoption, the Declaration’s words still speak to all of us deeply—and still ask the same urgent questions. What values are important to us as Americans? And how can we all continue to uphold and improve upon these principles together?

Back in March 2026, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society hosted Revolution on the Coast, a week-long history festival highlighting our community’s contributions to the war for independence and the ongoing impact of the Revolution. Over the course of that week, 2,800 people participated in Revolution on the Coast, making their own new kind of history. 🇺🇸

The event, featuring the Museum of the American Revolution’s First Oval Office Project, gave visitors a taste of George Washington’s life in camp during the Revolutionary War. CGHS and other local organizations also hosted activities alongside the tents. Volunteers taught quill writing, and scores of revolutionary visitors—including eager young signers from schools across Glynn County—used their new skills to sign their own names to this copy of the Declaration of Independence. ✍🏻

These Declarations can now be viewed by the public this weekend in our boat house lobby and at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center lobby.

06/22/2026

On June 16, Coastal Coverage Painting and Design Inc. began a complete repainting of the WWII Home Front Museum, which will last 3-4 weeks, using 100% acrylic paint, kindly donated by . Coastal Coverage’s work represents far more than just a new coat of paint. The structures that make up the World War II Home Front Museum were last painted in 2016, and coastal conditions—humidity, salt, storms, and sun—erode the historic exteriors. CGHS staff have noted mold growth, rust, and paint flaking and cracking on the Coast Guard Station, Boathouse, Bath House, and Pavilion. This project, combined with Austin Historical's work on exterior wood elements, will protect the buildings from the elements and prevent deterioration.

All historic projects will be completed by the end of Summer 2026 and safeguard the buildings for generations to come. Although work will be visible across the campus, the World War II Home Front Museum will remain open to visitors throughout the process.

Coastal Georgia Historical Society

06/10/2026

The artifacts in the Coastal Georgia Historical Society collection take many shapes and sizes—from tiny lapel pins and ration cards to letters, maps, canvas paintings, furniture pieces, and much more. The largest pieces of history are the buildings that house our museums. Careful and of structures owned by CGHS have kept these historic treasures intact for all to enjoy.

Savannah Metalworks completed small repairs during the first days of June. Workers replaced missing shingles on the roofs of the museum’s structures, cleaned out gutters, and repaired broken sections.

Today, a team from Austin Historical — an historic window, door, and shutter restoration company— began replacing and repairing rotted or broken wood elements around each building’s windows and doors. This work serves a dual purpose: it brings the structures on the Museum’s campus in line with state and national historic preservation standards while preventing further deterioration.

All historical preservation projects will be completed by the end of Summer 2026 and safeguard the buildings for generations to come. Although work will be visible across the campus, the World War II Home Front Museum will remain open to visitors throughout the process.

06/06/2026