Brunswick Stew Monument

A great debate rages between Brunswick, Georgia and Brunswick County, Virginia. The feud is over which region originated the the concoction known as Brunswick stew. This tomato-based Southern dish was originally made up of squirrel, rabbit and opossum as the base proteins in the past. These days, the meat is usually pork or chicken, cooked along with beans and other local vegetables.  

A large pot on a pedestal in Mary Ross Park in downtown Brunswick, Georgia is engraved with a bold claim: that it was the first container used to make the stew, stating “In this pot the first Brunswick Stew was made on St. Simon Isle, June 2, 1898.” 

The problem is, Brunswick stew has a longer history than that, seeing as historical accounts exist of it prior to 1898—over in Virginia. But Brunswick, Georgia has put up a good fight regarding the origins of the stew. Hilariously, there’s even a second monument to Brunswick stew in town. The one in Mary Ross Park has proudly stood since 1946, when two restauranteurs attempted to solidify the town’s claim to the dish. Yet the stew’s true hometown remains a mystery.