Donating to the Museum Collection

For all inquiries on collections and donations, please contact Shelby Smith, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society’s Ellen H. “Mimi” Rogers Director of Collections and Education, at [email protected] or (912) 634-7092.

Museum Collection Scope

Coastal Georgia Historical Society gratefully accepts donations to the museum collection. Our collecting policy focuses on the history of the Coastal Georgia region, including general history of St. Simons Island, Brunswick, and surrounding communities. CGHS also collects objects that connect to the foci of the Society’s two museums, including the history of lighthouses and the home front during World War II.

We accept various mediums including documents, photographs, textiles, artwork, objects, furnishings, and archaeology that have a substantial connection to our collection scope.

Donation Evaluation Criteria

All proposed gifts to the museum collection must be approved by the CGHS Staff Collections Committee in accordance with the CGHS Collections Management Policy. In determining whether to accept a proposed donation, CGHS considers (1) whether the proposed gift is related to the Society’s mission, (2) the costs associated with receiving and maintaining the proposed donation (including costs of shipping, storage, and preservation), and (3) any restrictions on the use of the proposed gift.

CGHS is unable to accept everything that is submitted. The CGHS Staff Collections Committee is tasked with carefully assessing offered items to ensure our collections help tell the history of Coastal Georgia while also being the best steward of our limited resources.

CGHS does not accept unsolicited donations either by mail or delivered in person. Unsolicited donations will be considered abandoned property, and CGHS reserves the right to dispose of or return the property at its discretion.

Acknowledgement of Museum Collection Donations and Tax Law

The Society shall acknowledge all gifts in writing and, upon a donor’s request, the completion of the donee statement of IRS Form 8283.

The Society is unable to offer appraisals on artifacts brought into the Society for donations or authentications.

In such situations, the Internal Revenue Service views the Society as an interested party and therefore is unable to render impartial appraisal.