The Georgia World War II Heritage Trail today announced the first organizations to join its new Affiliate Partner Program, formally welcoming Roosevelt’s Little White House, Fort Oglethorpe, and the E.L. Greenway Welcome Center as Affiliate Partners.
The Affiliate Partner Program was officially launched by the Trail on October 9, 2025, expanding participation beyond the Trail’s founding partner sites and creating new pathways for museums, historic sites, and community organizations across Georgia to share their World War II stories as part of a coordinated statewide network.
The program recognizes locations that contribute meaningfully to Georgia’s World War II history—on the home front, in military training, logistics, transportation, and national leadership. Affiliate Partners are listed on the Trail’s website, highlighted through social media promotions, and eligible to share events through the Trail’s statewide calendar.
Roosevelt’s Little White House holds a singular place in World War II history as the site of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s final residence and the location where he delivered his last address to the nation in April 1945, just weeks before the end of the war in Europe. The site interprets Roosevelt’s wartime leadership, his relationship with Warm Springs, and Georgia’s connection to pivotal moments at the close of World War II.
Fort Oglethorpe played a significant role in Georgia’s wartime landscape as a major military community during World War II. Located near Camp Forrest in Tennessee—one of the U.S. Army’s largest training centers—the Fort Oglethorpe area supported military housing, logistics, and infrastructure tied directly to the mobilization and training of American forces. Today, the city preserves and interprets this military heritage as part of North Georgia’s broader World War II story.
The E.L. Greenway Welcome Center is home to the Elberta Depot & WWII Museum, which highlights the critical role of rail transportation during World War II. The museum interprets how the historic depot and rail corridor supported troop movements, military logistics, and industrial supply chains essential to the Allied war effort, linking Northwest Georgia communities to national and global events.
“From Savannah’s shipyards to the flight training fields of Albany and Douglas, every corner of Georgia has a story to tell about how our communities answered the call during World War II,” said Ed Coleman, Chair of the Georgia World War II Heritage Trail. “The Affiliate Partner Program helps ensure those stories of Georgia’s Greatest Generation are preserved and shared at the local level, where history lives.”
Affiliate Partners must demonstrate a clear connection to Georgia’s World War II history through exhibits, interpretation, or visitor experiences; maintain regular public hours and a visitor-ready site; and provide accurate, up-to-date online information. Qualified organizations may apply through a brief application process and an annual listing fee of $35.
The Georgia World War II Heritage Trail currently includes twelve founding museums and heritage sites, ranging from the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force to the Commemorative Air Force Airbase Georgia. Established in 2021, the Trail continues to grow through partnerships that educate, inspire, and connect visitors to the people and places that shaped Georgia’s wartime legacy.