Boblo Studios, Brunswick

This unassuming commercial storefront, now little more than a shell, was home to the Boblo Records Studio, an obscure label which actually churned out a few recordings in the 1970s. Chet Bennett designed the studio for owner Bobby Smith, and is credited as producer, as well. One of the best known artists to record here was Jimmy “Orion” Ellis. Two of the first records to bear the Boblo Records label were “Mr. Boogie Man” and “Feel Like Being Funky” by Avalanche.

The studio was relatively short-lived, but its mere presence in Brunswick was quite amazing.

National Association of Letter Carriers Branch 313, Brunswick

It appears that this structure is no longer in use. The National Association of Letter Carriers is a labor union of city mail carriers, if my understanding is correct.

Package Store, Pembroke

This package store just outside Pembroke was originally owned by James Olan Butler, and later sold to John Futch.

U. S. Picric Acid Plant Ruins, Circa 1917, Brunswick

Jim Morrison graffiti, U. S. Picric Acid Plant, Brunswick

Known as “The Factory that Never Was”, this place looks more like something one would encounter under a freeway in New York or Los Angeles than in Coastal Georgia.

As America entered World War I in 1917, construction began on a factory at the site with the purpose of manufacturing picric acid, then vital to the manufacture of explosives.

It was to employ 5000 during the construction process and 6000 during operation and promised an economic boom for the community.

But the signing of the Versailles Treaty on 11 November 1918 put an end to the war and an end to the U. S. Picric Acid Plant in Brunswick.

Construction was halted immediately and the site was abandoned, just a month shy of completion.

It’s been suggested that the remains seen here were multi-level, built for the separation of chemicals used in the process.

Over the years large sections were demolished and this is all that remains, to my knowledge.

A partial chimney, visible from I-95, was also part of the operation. (Not pictured).

It’s suggested by some that another section remains nearby in the woods, overgrown to the point of obliteration, but I’m not looking for them so I cannot confirm either way.

 

 

Shellman Fish Camp Store, 1970, Shellman Bluff

This landmark serves as a community store and marina for Shellman Bluff.

Glynn Ice Company Ruins, 1920, Brunswick

R. C. Baumgartner established the Glynn Ice Company in 1903. It was first located on Grant Street, then Newcastle. With an output of 75 tons per day, it was one of the most successful businesses in Brunswick. Baumgartner sold it to F. D. M. Strachan in 1912, and it was relocated here in 1920. Coal delivery was added to the business at that time. F. D. Aiken purchased the ice company in 1930 and changed the name to Glynn Ice & Coal Company. Modern appliances put an end to the day-to-day delivery of ice by the end of World War II, but bulk customers such as shrimpers and other fishermen kept the business afloat. The business closed permanently in 1982 and the building fell into ruin. It was scheduled for demolition by the city but in 2001, Keith Missildine, a Brunswick native with preservation experience, successfully petitioned the city to purchase and restore the property. One structure was saved and restored as a residence, and the remainder was stabilized, as seen today. I’m unsure what has come of plans to restore the building as office space, but at least it has survived with some of its original character intact.

Thanks to Kristen Knost for sharing her photographs and the location on the Vanishing Georgia Facebook group.

Brunswick Old Town Historic District, National Register of Historic Places

Roadside Filling Station & Store, Black Creek

ARCO Administration Building, Circa 1919, Brunswick

This was the main office of the Atlantic Refining Company/Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO), which operated an oil refinery in Brunswick from 1919-1935. it was one of the largest employers in Brunswick and built an entire village to support its operations, albeit a segregated one. Subsequent owners of the property were Georgia Power, Dixie Paint, and two chemical companies, and years of unchecked pollution led to the classification of much of the property as a Superfund site. Honeywell, the present owners, are involved in ongoing cleanup and reclamation of the property and surrounding estuary.

Sinclair Warehouse, Sterling

This warehouse was part of the Sinclair Oil distributorship in Brunswick and was later moved to Sterling, where it has been a familiar landmark for many years.

Ida Mae & Joe’s Truck Stop, 1938, Midway

When it closed in 2009, Ida Mae & Joe Smith’s truck stop had been serving hearty meals to locals and travelers on U.S. Highway 17 for 71 years. When Interstate 95 was completed, most businesses on U.S. 17 struggled to stay open, but Ida Mae & Joe’s Southern cooking kept the tourists and locals coming. By 1990, Mr. and Mrs. Smith had both passed away and business slowed. None of the family wanted to run a restaurant so they leased it to Delores Vann, who was a longtime waitress at the local landmark. As Mrs. Vann’s health declined, she gave up the lease and other operators followed. Locals say it was never the same, though.

Some have suggested it was among the oldest truck stops in America.