The National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Pooler, GA, has raised $18.3 million as part of its “Maximum Effort” capital campaign, moving the project into its third and final phase of improvements. The campaign, which began with a $4.5 million allocation from Chatham County’s SPLOST 7 referendum, originally set out to raise $10 million. Over the past five years, the effort has grown well beyond that target, supported by 275 individual contributions. Museum officials say the total now stands at more than $18 million.
Of that amount, nearly $5 million has already gone toward building and exhibit upgrades. About $1 million has gone into the museum’s endowment, and another $1 million is being held for the restoration of a B-24 that’s expected to join the collection. Most of what’s left, roughly $10 million, is set to go toward the final phase of the project.
“It is clear that the museum’s vision resonates with its supporters. Museum leadership is grateful to the many donors to the capital campaign for their generous support of Maximum Effort,” stated Scott W. Loehr, the museum’s President and CEO. The next phase will include a new 20,000-square-foot addition featuring a program and event center with seating for more than 350 people. The expansion will also make room for the museum’s growing collection. Inside the current building, work is underway to add two classrooms along with an open collections gallery for education programs.
At the same time, museum staff have been working with exhibit design firm dmdg2 on a new permanent exhibition titled Combat in the Sky: A World War II History of the US Eighth Air Force. The display will feature the museum’s B-17 City of Savannah, along with a recently acquired B-24, and will include a large number of objects from the collection. Support for the campaign has come from a mix of individuals, companies, and foundations, including families with ties to Eighth Air Force veterans. Work on the final phase is expected to get underway in February 2026, with the project aiming for completion by late summer 2027. For more information and to support the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force: www.mightyeighth.org.
