Golden Isles History

This story originally appeared in Discover Downtown Brunswick, a publication of The Brunswick News, in the October 2023 edition. Last month, we discussed Brunswick’s old town streets moving south from Gloucester. For this final installment (for now) of What’s In A Name, let’s move from Bay Street to the eastern boundary of the Oglethorpe Plan. The Duke of Newcastle by William Hoare, circa 1750   Bay is a universal name in many cities for a street running along the waterfront.   Charleston, for example, has an East Bay street on east side of the peninsula. Brunswick’s Bay Street is on the west.   It is important to note that the north part of the current Bay Street footprint overtook part of Oglethorpe Street.   A 1960s-era revitalization of rundown Bay Street storefronts, road widening, and Port enlargements were all at play here. The next street to the east is Oglethorpe Street, named for General James Edward Oglethorpe (1696-1785). Oglethorpe was the founder of the Province of Geor

This article first appeared in Discover Downtown Brunswick, a publication of The Brunswick News, published in Brunswick, Georgia.  Story and photo restorations by Josh Dukes A new year is upon us again and there’s a vibrant pulse of redevelopment coursing through the veins of Brunswick's historic downtown core along Newcastle and Gloucester Streets.  The city is practically crackling with energy these days, and I'm soaking in every electrifying moment. As a historian it's impossible not to acknowledge that this dance of business development has played out many times before—a thrilling symphony of highs and lows in a place we all know is perpetually full of promise. As we leaf through the chapters of history, there's one standout character who leaps off the pages—a visionary who poured his heart and soul into a fledgling Brunswick. Urbanus Dart Urbanus Dart, Sr. was one of Brunswick’s pioneer citizens from its earliest days of development.  He was born in 1800 to Cyrus a

This story originally appeared in the December 2023 issue of Discover Downtown Brunswick, a publication of The Brunswick News and has been edited slightly. Article by Josh Dukes. The holiday season is finally here and lights are going up all over town.  Our current City Hall on Gloucester and Old City Hall on Newcastle both have beautiful lighting that was added in the last few years - we keep hoping this look will expand to the Ritz Theater and other city holdings in the coming years.  In Hanover Square, sparkling lights trace the brick plaza at the center where the multi-tiered fountain creates a serine oasis for parkgoers.  This public space once served a different purpose, housing Glynn County’s original courthouse.  Many of us know about Glynn County’s Historic Courthouse just north of Gloucester on Union Street, but the full history of Brunswick’s courthouses goes much further back than that single structure.  The journey to realize this building was a long road. The Courthouse a

This story originally appeared in Discover Downtown Brunswick, a publication of The Brunswick News, in the September 2023 edition. In the first part of our local names series, we started at the beginning of European occupation in the Golden Isles and found some of the icons of history who gave their names to our local places. Grab last month’s copy of Discover Downtown Brunswick if you missed it!   This month, we’re tackling the streets of Old Town Brunwick.  The city plan was originally laid out by General James Edward Oglethorpe in 1771.  By 1789, Brunswick was recognized by President George Washington as one of the 5 original ports of entry for the American colonies. Let’s first journey from North to South through Old Town and touch on each of the named streets along the way. William Henry Duke of Gloucester by Sir William Beechey Gloucester Street was named for Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh (1743-1805).   The Duke was a brother of King George III and memb

This story originally appeared in Discover Downtown Brunswick, a publication of The Brunswick News, in the August 2023 edition. King George II, circa 1750 by John Shackleton I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the names of places in the Golden Isles.   Part is just pure curiosity on my part, but as I learn more about some of the names we pass between each other for directions or location each day, the more I see the interconnections between them.   I give to you here part of what I think will be a multi-part series.   Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Fort Frederica – 1736. Named for King George II's eldest son, Fort Frederica (1736) takes its name from Prince Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne.  Frederick's wife Princess Augusta was also honored when General James Oglethorpe named the outpost of Augusta, Georgia for her.  Frederick died at 44 years old and never became king, but his son became King George III in 1760, the last king to rule over t