Jekyll Square West

Jekyll Square West. . . Jekyll Square, originally called “Jekyll Place,” was named after Sir Joseph Jekyll (1663-1738), a member of British parliament. He was a friend of General Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia, and a financial supporter of the colony. It is a fitting tribute to Sir Joseph Jekyll that the square named in his honor has long been a center of law, commerce and finance in Brunswick. Portrait of Sir Joseph Jekyll courtesy of the Jekyll Island Museum. . . A Center of Finance and Government . The population of Brunswick grew slowly. The city came into its own in the 1880s as the port became a national forest export leader, and businesses began to flourish along Newcastle Street. . . When Oglethorpe National Bank was chartered in 1889, it built an imposing 3-story red brick building (right) with a distinctive cupola on Jekyll Square West. In 1893 , the bank failed during a national economic crisis, and much of the building was unused for years. . . A major hurricane brought 16’ of storm surge into downtown Brunswick in 1898, flooding the old county courthouse and destroying valuable property records. Although the cupola of the former bank was blown away, the sturdy structure main structure remained intact. The county purchased the building, repaired the cupola and moved all official business to Jekyll Square. When a new courthouse was built in 1907, the Brunswick Bank and Trust Company purchased the building. At the time, the bank held the distinction of having the only revolving door in town. Bank and 1898 hurricane photos courtesy of Coastal Historical Society. . . A Growing City on the Move . The 1910 streetscape (above) showing Jekyll Square features Brunswick’s favorite modes of transportation; the old fashioned horse and wagon, “modern” trolley cars and the new craze-an automobile. By 1926, trolley service was discontinued and Newcastle Street was crowded with roadsters and touring cars (left). . . A late 1930s view of Newcastle Street, looking north, shows a busy city recovering from the Great Depression. In 1958, the bank, now named American National Bank, built another facility and sold the building on Jekyll Square. Soon afterwards, the top two floors and cupola were removed, the arches were bricked in and a Mansard-inspired roof was installed. 1910 photo courtesy of Coastal Georgia Historical Society; 1926 and 1930s photos courtesy of Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association. . . Looking Good . Several generations of Brunswick gentlemen benefited from the talents of Howard E. Battle, (right) of Floyd’s Barber Shop on the southeast corner of this square. Altman’s Feminine Attire, which sold everything from Girl Scouts uniforms to ball gowns, later occupied that space, plus several adjacent buildings. Courtesy of Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association. . . New Life in the Old Square . In 2008, the city of Brunswick and Signature Squares restored both Jekyll Square East and West. The focal point of this square is the fountain created from the base bowl of the original 1885 fountain in Hanover Square. The parks were dedicated on May 2, 2008. Photos courtesy of Troup Nightingale. . . In 1771, the city of Brunswick. Georgia was laid out according to "the Oglethorpe Plan," named after the colony's founder. General James Edward Oglethorpe. The design featured a grid of 14 large and small squares. The intention of the plan was to create permanent, park-like common areas throughout the city. The squares still bear their original names, which reveal Brunswick's strong historic ties to England. . . Signature Squares of Brunswick, a non-profit organization founded to restore and preserve the parks and squares within the historic district of Brunswick, gratefully acknowledges the research contributions of Mia Knight Nichols and the support of the City of Brunswick: Delong-Sweet Foundation: The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., Magnolia Garden Club; Jekyll Island Authority; Friends of Coastal Georgia History: Downtown Development Authority; Plum Creek Foundation; Jerry Spencer, ASLA, Landscape Architect. . This historical marker was erected in 2008 by Signature Squares of Brunswick. It is in Brunswick in Glynn County Georgia