Old Town Squares

Originally laid out in 1771 by George McIntosh at the re quest of the Royal Gov-ernor of Georgia, the city plan of Brunswick was an evolu-tion of General James Oglethorpe’s famous “Savannah Plan”. The first actively used of the six major squares of Brunswick is Hanover Square. The Square has long been a focal point for the social and communal life of the city. As the city grew and contracted from 1771 to 1825, Hano-ver Square was little more than a designation on the city map. In 1796 the county seat was moved from Ft. Frederi-ca to Brunswick. Elections were held at Hog Crawl Creek off Hwy. 17.. Urbanus Dart and William Davis petitioned the state in 1825 to reconstruct the city. Thus, a lottery was held in Savannah to raise money. In 1825 a county courthouse, jail, and Masonic Temple were constructed as one building in the center of the Square. Over the next 30 years, the building fell into disrepair as the city was aban-doned. As the city gained its third and final charter in 1856, Hanover Square became once again the main public square and gathering place for city residents. From 1952 to present day, the continued preservation efforts of previous citizen groups and individuals have saved Hanover Square from oblivion. In 2004, Signatures Squares of Brunswick was incorporated to actively restore Hanover Square to prominence and restore all the origi-nal squares of Brunswick to their rightful place in the city’s social and community life.

Blythe Square, like many of the smaller squares around the city, were repurposed for commercial and private use. Having the support of United Methodist Church of Brunswick and other partners, Signature Squares was able to transform Blythe Square from parking spaces to a community garden in July of 2010.

Wright Square, one of the two largest of the original 14 squares of Brunswick, was named after Georgia’s last Colonial Governor, Sir James Wright (1716-1785). Well-respected and fair, Wright held his office from October 13, 1760 until the end of the Revolutionary War.