North Cobb JROTC students experience history firsthand at AU

A group of Navy JROTC high school students from North Cobb and Harrison high schools in Cobb County, Georgia, recently visited Augusta University’s Summerville Campus, experiencing firsthand how the Katherine Reese Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences connects history, education and community engagement.

Through the Guard House Museum and campus History Walk, the visit highlighted how Pamplin continues to create accessible, real-world learning opportunities for both students and the public.

“Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is proud to provide a meaningful and engaging experience for the public through the Guard House Museum,” said Pamplin Dean Kim Davies, PhD. “The carefully researched exhibitions and thoughtfully planned tours developed by Museum Director Stacey Thompson reflect the same experiential learning approach she brings to her classrooms, connecting academic study with real-world public history.”

Located on the historic grounds of the former Augusta Arsenal, a U.S. Ordnance Department site from 1816 to 1955, the Summerville Campus offers a unique setting where visitors can engage directly with the university’s past. Original buildings such as the Arsenal Commandant’s home, now Benet House, and the surrounding 1827 quadrangle structures once served as barracks, officer’s quarters and a mess hall – spaces that now connect Augusta University’s present to its historic roots.

At the center of the experience is the Guard House Museum, which offers a focused look at Augusta’s role in World War II as a hub for munitions production. 

“Through carefully curated exhibitions and guided experiences, the museum helps visitors connect classroom learning to real-world history in a tangible way,” Thompson said.

For the visiting students, the experience extended beyond the museum itself. Walking through the Summerville Campus gave them a chance to engage with a college environment while reinforcing the historical concepts they are already exploring in their ROTC studies.

The group’s Augusta visit was part of a larger trip that included stops at military landmarks and an overnight stay aboard the USS Yorktown, making the campus experience one piece of a broader, immersive learning journey.

“We always try to expose students to history and universities at the same time,” said Senior Naval Science Instructor Philip Pascoe. “This gave us a chance to do both in one stop.”