Military museum in Savannah includes a fascinating, hands-on collection of memorabilia

Matt Richardson

There is a museum in downtown Savannah that is a kind of time capsule of history. Just as there is treasure to be found in an attic or a forgotten storage closet, there is a rich bounty of unique and fascinating items waiting to be discovered when you walk through the door.

Webb Military Museum is located on East York Street off Columbia Square, and it is a testimony to one man’s desire to preserve the past and celebrate those who bore witness to it.

“This museum is about more than military history,” owner Gary Webb says. “It is about the people who were there, and the things that belonged to them.”

Indeed, within the walls of Webb Military Museum, you will not find displays with maps of battles and strategies of war, but you will find items such as a uniform worn by celebrity Bob Hope on one of his many USO tours to entertain the troops. There is a piece of the battleship USS Arizona, but also caps and personal items carried by sailors who bore witness to the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.

“As we flew in, they gave us a 21-gun salute. Three of them were ours.” Webb Military Museum displays the uniform of Bob Hope, the entertainer and celebrity who toured Vietnam performing shows to entertain the troops.
“As we flew in, they gave us a 21-gun salute. Three of them were ours.” Webb Military Museum displays the uniform of Bob Hope, the entertainer and celebrity who toured Vietnam performing shows to entertain the troops.

You will see a section of oak tree riddled with cannonballs from the Battle of Chickamauga during the Civil War, but you also will see personal letters and items carried by veterans who wore the blue and the gray.

As you walk through the museum, you follow a path of superbly arranged displays that take you along a timeline of history. Glass cases protect many rare items from uniforms and caps to letters and trophy flags, and stories of the men and women who carried them.

One of the most fascinating items at Webb Military Museum in Savannah is a U.S. cavalry saddle found on the Little Bighorn Battlefield shortly following the famous “Custer’s Last Stand” in 1876. In remarkable condition, the saddle seems to bring history to life.
One of the most fascinating items at Webb Military Museum in Savannah is a U.S. cavalry saddle found on the Little Bighorn Battlefield shortly following the famous “Custer’s Last Stand” in 1876. In remarkable condition, the saddle seems to bring history to life.

There is a Philippine field marshal’s cap worn by Gen. Douglas MacArthur and uniforms worn by World War I ace Eddie Rickenbacker and Gen. William Westmoreland, a native of Charleston.

One of the most fascinating items is a U.S. cavalry saddle recovered after the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. A centerpiece of the museum is the full-sized cockpit of a Soviet-built MiG 21 fighter jet, complete with pilot’s seat.

The centerpiece of Webb Military Museum in Savannah is the cockpit of a Soviet-built MiG 21 fighter plane. “I was glad to get that out of my garage,” remarked proprietor Gary Webb. This fascinating museum is open to the public, but it is very much a personal collection that Webb has gathered over decades.
The centerpiece of Webb Military Museum in Savannah is the cockpit of a Soviet-built MiG 21 fighter plane. “I was glad to get that out of my garage,” remarked proprietor Gary Webb. This fascinating museum is open to the public, but it is very much a personal collection that Webb has gathered over decades.

From colonial times to the Cold War to the modern age, you will find the things that men and women used, suffered or carried to remind them of loved ones at home. As you journey along the museum’s corridor, you will travel with them. Many items are available for you to pick up and handle or peruse through drawers to discover more.

The gift shop contains items new and old for sale, and it gives you an opportunity to share Webb’s passion for history.

“This museum is dedicated to my father and mother,” Webb says. “He was a veteran of WWII and Vietnam, and my mother grew up in London during the ‘Blitz.’ My passion for this work developed as I was growing up and traveling the world with them. This museum is an opportunity to share it with you.”

I recently visited Webb Military Museum in Savannah and found it every bit as fascinating as Webb described. It is in some ways a tribute to one man’s obsession to preserve history, but in another, it is a tribute to those who bore witness to it and whose lives were forever changed. When you visit, I suspect you will feel the fascination as well and will not soon forget it.

“This museum is about more than military history,” owner Gary Webb says. “It is about the people they belonged to.” Webb Military Museum in Savannah is filled with stories of men and women, more than about battles and campaigns.
“This museum is about more than military history,” owner Gary Webb says. “It is about the people they belonged to.” Webb Military Museum in Savannah is filled with stories of men and women, more than about battles and campaigns.

Getting there

Webb Military Museum is located at 411 E. York St. in downtown Savannah and is open year-round. Hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 per adult, $9 for seniors, $8 for veterans and $6 for children 8-17. Active-duty military admission is free, and there are discounts for Girl Scouts and tour groups.

To get there, take U.S. 17 across the Talmadge Bridge to Oglethorpe Avenue. From Oglethorpe, take a left on Lincoln Street and a right onto East York Street Parking is along the street or in a nearby parking garage.

For more information on the museum, call 912-663-0398 or go to webbmilitarymuseum.com.

Although most of the exhibits at Webb Military Museum in Savannah are protected, many items are available for you to touch and hold. This gives visitors a sense of being a part of the history, as well as to explore facets of the items and information impossible in a static display.
Although most of the exhibits at Webb Military Museum in Savannah are protected, many items are available for you to touch and hold. This gives visitors a sense of being a part of the history, as well as to explore facets of the items and information impossible in a static display.

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