Support the Recovery of the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, Category 4 Hurricane Helene drove 8 feet of powerful storm surge and sand over historic Pass-a-Grille, causing catastrophic damage to the community, and flooding at the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum. For more than 30 years, this gem on the Gulf has been committed to collecting, preserving, and sharing the history of our coastal communities. We are housed in the first church to be built on the barrier islands, a beautiful 1917 structure that sadly took on several inches of water during the storm. Not only did the building itself suffer damage, but so too did our exhibits in the historic World War II barracks located on site.

The Friends of the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum is a 501(c)3 non-profit that is responsible for the museum's collection, exhibits, and programming. We are completely volunteer-run, and rely entirely upon donations to support our operating costs. While the museum is closed indefinitely for recovery to the building and to the infrastructure of our surrounding town, we will not be able to bring in any donations from visitors, at a time when we need funds to support the restoration of our exhibits and protection of our collection from future storms.

We are committed to coming back, to continuing to preserve and communicate the stories of our resilient community during this time of great change. We are dedicated to being a keeper of our collective memories, even as the Gulf Beaches have been transformed by this nearly unprecedented environmental disaster. With your help, we will capture and share the experiences of the folks who made it through Helene, the history-makers of the future.

If you support our mission, if you've visited the GBHM and gained something of value from the experience, or if you just love our barrier islands, please consider making a donation. Any amount, big or small, will help us rebuild, rebound, and get back to our mission of sharing the history of our AMAZING community. Thank you.