Bryan County
Pembroke, Bryan County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Bryan County. This County created by Act of the Legislature Dec. 19, 1793, is named for Jonathan Bryan, Revolutionary patriot and member of the Executive Council in 1777. The "lost town" of Hardwick on the Ogeechee River was the first temporary County Site. Laid out in 1755, it was named for Lord Hardwick, Lord Chancellor of England, a relative of the then Gov. Reynolds. Two Royal Governors recommended that it be the Capital of Georgia. An Act of 1797 designated a new County Site at Cross Roads, 2 miles from Ogeechee Bridge. The Site was later moved to Clyde and then Pembroke. 015-1 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1954
Erected by Georgia Historical Commission
The Story
Bryan County, created on December 19, 1793, honors Jonathan Bryan, a Revolutionary patriot and member of Georgia's 1777 Executive Council. Its first, temporary seat was the now-vanished colonial town of Hardwick on the Ogeechee River, laid out in 1755, named for the Lord Chancellor of England, and twice recommended as Georgia's capital. The county seat later moved through Cross Roads and Clyde before settling at Pembroke.
Why it matters
The 'lost town' of Hardwick recalls colonial Georgia's ambitions and the many planned settlements that flourished briefly and then vanished.
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Related people
- · Jonathan Bryan
Themes & tags
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