The World War II Home Front Museum
The Home Front Museum is appropriately
named as it tells a detailed story of the affect
World War II had on our coastal community,
and the affect the community had on the war.
Developed by the Coastal Georgia Historical
Society, the museum tells its story through
many venues. The opening videos features
interviews of local residents whose lives were
touched by the war. Children and adults alike
will learn from interactive exhibits asking
them to lend a hand at plane spotting, direct
fighter pilot squadrons using radar, help build
a Liberty Ship and use rations to decide how
to prepare a healthy meal.
In many ways, St. Simons Island and the
Golden Isles communities were like many other
small towns doing their part to help in the war
effort. In many ways we were very different.
Glynn County was the location of three
critical wartime facilities: an airship base, a
radar training school and a Liberty Ship
shipyard. Two Naval Air Stations (NAS) were
built in Glynn County and Brunswick was one
of 5 airship bases on the East Coast. These
were vital in preventing the U-Boat threat like
the devastating attack on April 8,1942 when 2
tankers were torpedoed 13 miles off the coast
of St. Simons Island, killling 22 mariners and
covering the beaches with oil. Fighter pilots
were also trained at the NAS radar training
school at the St. Simons airport.
The nassive J.A. Jones Shipyard employed
more than 16,000 men and women who built
85 Liberty Ships in less than 3 years. These
ships were cargo carriers responsible for
transporting vital supplies to battlefields
around the world.
The World War II Home Front Museum is
located in the Historic Coast Guard Station on
St. Simons Island - at the entrance to some of
our most popular beaches. Plan to spend
some time here. The docents recommend at
least an hour and a half. In 1942, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt declared, “There is one
front and one battle where everyone in the
United States—every man, woman, and
child—is in action, and will be privileged to
remain in action throughout this war. That
front is right here at home, in our daily lives,
and in our daily tasks.” St. Simons and The
Golden Isles rose to that challenge as did
many families and communities.
Open Daily. 912-634-7098. 4201 1st
Street, East Beach, St. Simons Island.
12 stsimonsguide.com
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