In 1771, Mark Carr made a layout for the town of Brunswick following Oglethorpe's plan for Savannah. Upon the building of Brunswick, the General Assembly transferred the county seat from Frederica to the inland. Brunswick was name after King George II's ancestral home found in Germany. Brunswick, unlike few other towns in the United States, retained the English names after the Revolutionary War. You can still find these streets in historic downtown today, such as Newcastle and Gloucester.

The development of Brunswick did not move along as quick as most towns found during this time. In 1819, the first public building, Glynn Academy was constructed and unfortunately, closed down for the next four years. After the school reopened, a courthouse, jail, and many homes were constructed. A canal would be made by Urabnus Dart and William Davis to allow the plantations to meet with the port. As the late 1830's came about, the city of Brunswick saw its first bank and newspaper.

In 1854, the canal constructed by Dart and Davis has finally opened and two years later the first railroad in Brunswick was constructed. The town was growing slowly and by 1860 there was a population of 468.

Brunswick has been fled over three times since it was founded. The canal and railroad would shut down. Slowly, citizens would come back from Waynesville, yet the population never greatly increased until December 1988. During the winter season, Brunswick was called the new port. Many upper class families, such as the Goodyears and the Rockefellers now had a home in Brunswick.

During the 1890’s, Brunswick faced many obstacles. Yellow fever and the depression hit its peak. Hurricanes hit, which disabled boats to travel to Newcastle Street. However, there were many new things helping the city of Brunswick grow. Lumber, naval stores, oysters and most of all, cotton ports were growing. Brunswick residential and commercial status was rising.

Brunswick was steadily growing. When WWII came about, blimps came quite popular. The Glynco Base was the home of the largest blimp base in the world. The Naval Air Station was the only station with every aircraft in operation such as airships, jets, helicopters, and prop-type planes. Today Glynco is now the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, also known as FLETC. Almost one hundred ships were built during the war, as well as the construction of Liberty ships. Hotels housed the ship builders in order to have multiple shifts.

Many companies were being constructed and Brunswick was quickly growing. Hercules is one of the oldest chemical plants in the world, which originated in this lovely city. Rich-Sea Pak, and King and Prince Seafood opened, allowing seafood to be served around the world. Georgia-Pacific was built to produce wood products. Best of all, the Georgia Ports Authority Mayor’s Point and Marine Point Terminals were opened to attract business from across the globe.

Tourism became a big part of Brunswick. You could visit St. Simons and Jekyll, which were connecting islands. The Old Town of Brunswick attracted many visitors. You could see annual concerts in the square and old homes. Golf, beaches, and historic sites helped Brunswick’s industry grow.

Throughout the years, Brunswick has continued to grow and we still remain a tourism city today. There are many historic houses still standing, which attract many visitors. St. Simons and Jekyll beaches attract tourists, as well as a water park on Jekyll Island called Summer Waves. Brunswick is still the home of Hercules and other big corporations which started years ago.