Brunswick & The Golden Isles of Georgia 2008 Visitors Guide

OLD TOWN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT General James Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia, laid out plans for the City of Brunswick in 1771. Named for Braunschweig, Germany, the ancestral home of King George II, its streets and squares are based on a grid pattern similar to those in Savannah. Their names honor the King and the House of Hanover. (see LORE panel, page 41) Brunswick was incorporated as a city in 1856 and went through several decades of boom and bust until the 1880s and 1890s when the lumber, shipping and naval stores industries spurred new prosperity. At the turn of the 20th century, Brunswick was the leading shipping point for railroad ties used worldwide. During those years many of the city’s most distinctive homes, commercial and government structures were built. Brunswick languished again in the years after World War I, then flourished during World War II when more than 70,000 people poured into the area to build Liberty Ships and work at local military installations (see LORE panels, pages 58 and 59). Housing was so scarce that many large homes were converted to apartments. By the 1970s urban sprawl had undermined the city and its older neighborhoods. Some historic squares were sold and built upon, significant buildings were razed and older homes fell into decline. In 1975 a group of residents formed the Old Town Brunswick Preservation Association. Through their efforts the area was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The Old Town Brunswick Preservation Association continues in its efforts to protect and preserve these historic architectural resources, through preservation guidelines and education. The Association sponsors an annual Old Town Tour of Homes, generally in the spring. Old Town Brunswick is the largest small town urban National Register Historic District in Georgia (see map on page 7). Bounded roughly by H Street on the north, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on the east, First Avenue on the south and Newcastle Street to the west, Old Town contains hundreds of homes, commercial and government buildings dating back to the late 19th century. An architectural survey conducted in 2000, examined 380 historic buildings in Old Town. Of these, 247 properties were found to represent one or more characteristics of 22 different academic architectural styles. The survey, conducted by a Savannah consulting firm, provides the following breakdown: Craftsmen, Colonial Revival, Folk Victorian, Beaux Arts Classicism, Victorian Romanesque, Queen Ann, Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Neo-Classical Revival, Italian Renaissance Revival, Second Empire, Stick, Shingle, Prairie, Spanish Colonial Revival, Moderne, Exotic Revival, Art Deco, International, Commercial, English Vernacular Revival, and Minimal Traditional. 7. SIDNEY LANIER BRIDGE As you look south to the foot of Newcastle Street, you will see the Sidney Lanier Bridge, Georgia’s tallest cable-stayed suspension bridge. This beautiful structure is 7,780 feet long and 486 feet tall. It contains 95,283 cubic yards of concrete and 14,810,095 pounds of reinforcing steel. The Lanier Bridge provides easy access to Brunswick & The Golden Isles from I-95 Exit 29. At the foot of the bridge on the north side, a new public park will honor the men and women who worked in Brunswick’s shipyards in World War II, building the Liberty Ships that supplied the Allied troops around the world. The planned park will offer a playground and picnic area with grills, benches, boardwalk, fishing pier, vending concession area and restrooms. An observation area and fishing platform will provide glimpses of vessels large and small as they pass beneath the Sidney Lanier Bridge. Plans include parking for 110 vehicles, with designated boat trailer parking, a boat ramp and an Brunswick's waterfront is home to a large fleet of commercial shrimp boats that serve the area's sizable seafood industry. Watching the shrimpers unload their catch at Mary Ross Waterfront Park is best in late afternoons during the shrimping season–typically running from early June to the end of February. 8

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Exploring! Brunswick & The Golden Isles Driving Tour Enjoying! - A Guide to Recreation Tasting! - A Directory of Dining Experiences African-American Heritage Driving Tour Lodging! - Your Guide to Accommodations

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