In July 2023 columns from the Oglethorpe Hotel were installed in Wright Square and are the centerpiece of the park. Bailey Monument was responsible for installing the columns. Here one of the columns is being taken off the truck. (Islander staff photo)
By Pamela Permar-Shierling
A community dedication of newly renovated Wright Square is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Friday, October 23.
Jerry Spencer, American Society of Landscape Architects, will be honored during the ceremony for his design service dedicated to preserving all of Brunswick’s squares.
As part of the dedication the Sea Island Company will plant a Live oak in Jerry’s memory with his family joining in the special tribute.
Spencer was pivotal in the recreation of all of Brunswick’s historic squares. Spencer will be recognized for his 20 years of in kind design landscape services to Signature Squares of Brunswick.
In the 1950s a road, George St., was cut through Wright Square, east to west, and the northern portion was dedicated to the Glynn County School System.
For many years Glynn County Junior High School stood on the northern half of the square.
When the school was demolished in 2012, a burial ground beneath the square was discovered. Archaeologist Bill Weeks supervised an excavation of the site and the outlines of 37 burial sites, believed to be over two centuries old, were revealed.
It was discovered that gas lines and other intrusions had unintentionally crossed the burial shafts of Colonial settlers when the school was built.
The Glynn County Board of Education deeded the Wright Square Property back to the City, and Wright Square was put back together through the efforts of Signatures Squares and the City of Brunswick.
