World War II Home Front Museum Review

Are you familiar with the World War II Home Front Museum in Georgia? It’s one of the ten destinations on Georgia’s WWII Heritage Trail, a hidden gem nestled on the beautiful St. Simons Island. This review will show you why I think this is a must-visit for families and history buffs alike.

My husband and I toured the WWII Home Front Museum during the first week of June 2024, which also marked the 80^th anniversary of D-Day.

My first order of business was to acquire a coveted “passport book.” The info online at Georgia WWII Heritage Trail gives you a snippet description of each destination. The site also states you’ll find the passports at each site. Our first stop on the trail was the Museum of Aviation in Warner Robbins. On that day, the volunteer at the front desk did not know anything about the passport books and said he didn’t think they had them. Fortunately, I inquired about them in their gift store later. They had them at the cash register. So, ask for the passport books in the museum gift shops!

Two more items of information I can tell you about the passport books that you’ll not currently find online: 1) The passport is not free. Mine was $5.00, which I was happy to pay. You can also download a digital version which is free. But it doesn’t have the same cool factor as the physical book. 2) The stamps you receive at each place are free and they are identical. It is a red-inked stamp with a large letter “V” and the words “For Victory” in the center of an outlined state of Georgia. I like the stamp, and I hope to fill my passport. But, I was expecting each destination on the WWII Trail to have a little bit of a more personalized stamp—kind of like those fun, rolled-out souvenir pennies.

A Little History

Originally, the museum was a Coast Guard Station built under President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Public Works Administration projects in 1936.

“The original mission for Coast Guard personnel was to rescue swimmers, assist boats in distress, and log the passing of all planes and ships.  The mission changed on November 1, 1941. As war in Europe threatened to cross the Atlantic Ocean, President Roosevelt signed an Executive Order transferring the Coast Guard from the Treasury Department to the War Department, under the auspices of the U.S. Navy.  The Coast Guard was charged with establishing a system of shore patrols to detect enemy activity.”

– “History – Coast Guard Station.” Coastal Georgia Historical Society, www.coastalgeorgiahistory.org/visit/historic-coast-guard-station-2/. Accessed 27 June 2024.

You can read more about the history of when this building was a Coast Guard Station here.

The Station was decommissioned in 1995. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The Coastal Landmark Preservation Society and the Coastal Georgia Historical Society worked together to develop the site into the World War II Home Front Museum.

The Hours and Admission to the World War II Home Front Museum

The WWII Home Front Museum is located on the East Beach at 4201 First Street. It is housed in the St. Simons Coast Guard Station, built in 1936.

You can buy admission tickets for the Home Front Museum or a combo ticket, which includes the St. Simons Island Lighthouse Museum tour. I highly recommend purchasing the combo tickets! The info online makes it sound like you can only buy tickets on the lighthouse campus. However, you can buy admission tickets to both museums at the Home Front Museum as well.

The lighthouse is about one and a half miles from the Home Front Museum and is worth the visit. Take note, that the last ticket to tour the lighthouse is sold at 4:30. We cut it close, and I would have loved to linger a little longer at both the museum and the lighthouse.

The hours for the lighthouse and the WWII Home Front Museum are:

Monday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday 12 noon – 5 p.m.

Check the Coastal Georgia History website for current prices. During June 2024, the prices listed were:

• $12 for Adults
• $6 for Ages 6-12
• $2 Military discount with an ID
• Children under six are admitted free of charge.

Combined Ticket Prices:

• $20 for Adults
• $10 for Ages 6-12
• $2 Military discount with an ID
• Children under six are admitted free of charge.

They also offer special rates for groups. Tours are available for chaperoned groups of children and teens. Their website states: “Each tour is approximately one hour long, and led by trained volunteer guides. You also have the option of choosing a self-guided experience, depending on the size of your group. If you are booking a tour on the weekend or a holiday that we are open, you must self-guide. Tickets are $3 per member of the group, per museum. In order to receive the school tour rate, you must pay in one lump sum. Please attempt to book school tours at least one month in advance.”

Outside of the WWII Home Front Museum

All exhibits are inside, but an interesting historical marker is located outside the museum. It states:

“After midnight on April 8, 1942, the German submarine U-123 was in position off the St. Simons Island sea buoy. Minutes later it chased and torpedoed two tankers, the Oklahoma and the Esso Baton Rouge, killing twenty-two crew members. Survivors were brought here to the U.S. Coast Guard Station for debriefing. Five of those killed were buried in Brunswick’s Palmetto Cemetery as “Unknown Seamen,” but were positively identified in 1998. The ships were raised, towed to Brunswick for emergency repairs and reentered into service. Both ships were sunk in the Atlantic Ocean before the end of World War II.”

Aside from Pearl Harbor, many folks think WWII took place overseas. Most people aren’t aware of how close the war came to the American home front. A trip to the WWII Home Front Museum will remedy that.

A Short Film and Hands-On Exhibits

After a warm welcome, we began our tour by watching a short, educational film introducing us to what took place on Georgia’s coast during WWII. Then, we moved on to the exhibits.

Wow! Even though this is a small museum, it packs in a lot of hands-on exhibits!

The “Do Your Part” is fun. You turn dials to various characteristics, such as “female,” “over 44 years old”, and “bad eyesight.” Then, the large panel above will light up with several ways the person could help with the war effort. Believe me, there was a job for everyone!

Another interesting exhibit is “How Much Can You Purchase?” Visitors view several products as they would have appeared in the early 1940s. You may recognize a few brands that are still thriving today. You learn about the products and why each one was rationed, and then you try to see if you have enough ration points for them.

There are various styles of telephones (but not cell phones!) where visitors can pick one up and hear a recording of someone speaking about an event that took place on the home front during WWII. Dialing a certain number will connect the listener to their chosen item. I don’t think actors made the recordings. It sounds like true eyewitnesses sharing their personal memories. It’s also fun to hear the whirring and clacking noises of dialing rotary phones! How many kids have opportunities to do that today?

At another exhibit, my husband and I enjoyed competing against each other to see who could identify the silhouettes of airplanes as a friend or foe before they flew away. We each pressed buttons and kept an electronic tally. We played twice. If we had had the time, we would’ve played longer. I won’t tell you who won–both games. (grin)

There are several more hands-on exhibits, but I don’t want to spoil the surprises for you. Also, you’ll find many posters, photos, and other artifacts to view. The war efforts of the people from coastal Georgia are emphasized, but much of the information can be applied to hometowns across America.   

The tour ends in the gift shop of the museum. It is a small area, but it offers unique items. I bought more souvenirs here than I did at the larger museums.

Recommendation

I highly recommend visiting the WWII Home Front Museum. It is best suited for ages six and up, but younger children will also find the bright colors and hands-on activities engaging.

Don’t think you must have kids in tow to enjoy this museum. It was just my husband and me, and we had a blast! We did rush just a bit because we were afraid we’d miss that last 4:30 tour at the lighthouse. I’d love to go back and read every little thing—and play the plane spotter game again.

We left the museum more informed and inspired. We are grateful not only for the war efforts of our veterans but also for the efforts of the Americans who served on the home front.

Motivated by the power of story, history, and His Story, Sally Matheny’s passion is telling the next generation wondrous things. Her nonfiction writing appears in worldwide, national, and regional publications. Two of Sally’s WWII history units are featured on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.

Learn more at SallyMatheny.com., where you’ll find encouraging blog posts, book reviews, and free resources.