Brunswick Stew: A Plaque Hunt

The plaque of Brunswick Stew is located in Brunswick, Georgia, on an iron pot outside the town. It declares that the first Brunswick Stew was cooked in this pot on St. Simons Island on July 2, 1898. However, the exact origin of the stew is disputed, with both Brunswick County in Virginia and the city of Brunswick in Georgia claiming it was developed there.

The first plaque

The pot was originally located in a restaurant near Brunswick, where it was placed in 1946. The restaurant's inscription claimed that the pot was the "historic vessel" in which the first Brunswick Stew was cooked. It was then moved to the Welcome Center on Highway 17 in downtown Brunswick, where it remained until 2012. It found its current home in Mary Ross Waterfront Park in 2012.

The people of Brunswick, Georgia, are not the only ones who claim to be the point of origin for the eponymous stew. The town of Brunswick, Virginia, and Brunswick County, Virginia, also stake their claims. In 1988, the Virginia General Assembly issued a decree naming Brunswick County the home of Brunswick stew, citing a recipe from 1828.

Despite these competing claims, the exact origin of the stew remains disputed.

The second plaque

There is a second plaque in Brunswick, Georgia, which also claims to be the place of origin for Brunswick stew. This plaque is affixed to a twenty-five-gallon iron pot outside the coastal town. The pot sits atop an aged stone pedestal in the Mary Ross Waterfront Park in downtown Brunswick. The inscription on the base of the pot reads:

> "In this pot the first Brunswick Stew was made on St Simon Isle July 2, 1898."

This pot was erected in 1946 by two restaurant owners who placed the historic vessel in a concrete base in front of their place of business. The plaque and pot were later moved to the Welcome Centre on Highway 17 in downtown Brunswick, where they remained until 2012. The pot was then moved to its current location in Mary Ross Waterfront Park.

Virginia's claim

The exact origin of Brunswick stew is disputed, with both Virginia and Georgia claiming its creation. Virginia's claim to the dish is multi-faceted, with historical, culinary, and cultural evidence supporting their assertion.

Firstly, historical records play a pivotal role in Virginia's claim. The Virginia Writers Project's guide to Virginia, published in 1941, states that Brunswick stew originated in Brunswick County, Virginia. This claim is further bolstered by an 1855 account in the Petersburg Intelligencer, which cites Brunswick County, Virginia, as the birthplace of the stew. Additionally, articles from the 1880s specifically attributed the dish's creation to 1828 in Brunswick County, crediting an enslaved African American cook named James or Jimmy Matthews.

The story of James Matthews is central to Virginia's claim. Matthews was a slave who, in 1828, slow-cooked a stew of squirrel, breadcrumbs, onions, butter, and seasonings for the hunting party of his master, Creed Haskins. This narrative is supported by the Virginia General Assembly, which, in 1988, decreed Brunswick County, Virginia, as the home of Brunswick Stew, tracing their claim back to Matthews' creation.

Secondly, culinary traditions in Virginia also support their claim to Brunswick stew. In Virginia, chicken and rabbit are more commonly used as the meat in the stew, as opposed to the preference for pork in Georgia. Additionally, Virginia's version of the stew tends to have a thicker consistency and is less tomato-based compared to the Georgia variety. These subtle differences in ingredients and preparation methods reflect regional variations and reinforce Virginia's argument that the dish evolved from their local culinary traditions.

Lastly, Brunswick stew holds cultural significance in Virginia, often associated with community events and fundraisers. The annual "A Taste of Brunswick" festival in October showcases the importance of the dish to the state's culinary heritage. The competition among stew masters and the designation of Brunswick Stew Day in the state capital further emphasize the cultural importance of the dish to Virginians.

While the exact origin of Brunswick stew may never be definitively proven, Virginia's claim is supported by a combination of historical records, culinary traditions, and cultural significance. The story of James Matthews, as an enslaved cook creating a dish that became a beloved part of Virginia's culinary heritage, adds a layer of complexity to the state's assertion.

Georgia's claim

A plaque on a 25-gallon iron pot in Brunswick, Georgia, says the first Brunswick stew was made in it on 2 July, 1898, on nearby St Simons Island. The pot sits in front of the Farmers Market at Mary Ross Waterfront Park.

However, this is not the only "memorial pot" related to Brunswick stew. Another has been found just outside Brunswick, in a rest area off I-95 southbound. Its plaque states, in part, that the “… first Brunswick stew was made here in the Brunswick-Golden Isles area in early colonial days.”

There is also a Georgia newspaper ad from 1871 for a saloon in Savannah that offered "Old Virginia Brunswick Stew" as a lunch special.

While there is more written evidence that Brunswick stew started in Virginia, most food critics say the Georgians have perfected the recipe. Georgia Brunswick stew is thick and tomato-based, typically made with smoked pork and chicken with corn and butter beans. It's tangy, bright and full of flavour, and it isn't too spicy.

The coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia, holds an annual Brunswick stew festival known as the Brunswick Rocking Stewbilee.

The stew's origin

The exact origin of Brunswick stew is disputed. The states of Virginia and Georgia both claim its birth, with Brunswick County in Virginia and the city of Brunswick in Georgia named as the potential places of origin.

Brunswick County, Virginia, is said to be the birthplace of the stew in 1828. The story goes that an enslaved African American cook named Jimmy Matthews, or Uncle Jimmy Matthews, cooked a squirrel stew for his enslaver, Creed Haskins, a member of the House of Delegates and Virginia state legislator, and a group of hunters. Matthews threw all the ingredients into one pot and cooked the mixture over a slow fire. When the hunters returned, cold and exhausted, they devoured the stew.

However, a plaque on a twenty-five-gallon iron pot in Brunswick, Georgia, claims that the first Brunswick stew was made in it on July 2, 1898, on nearby St. Simons Island. There is also a second, older pot in Brunswick, Georgia, with a plaque stating that the "first Brunswick stew was made here in the Brunswick-Golden Isles area in early colonial days."

Adding to the mystery, there is a claim that the stew may have originated even earlier in the city of Braunschweig (English: Brunswick) in the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg in northern Germany. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, in her "Cross Creek Cookery" (1942), wrote that the stew may have come from Braunschweig, Germany, and was said to have been one of Queen Victoria's favourites.

While the exact origin remains unknown, Brunswick stew has become a beloved tradition and a source of regional pride in the Southern United States. The friendly rivalry between Virginia and Georgia is often celebrated at stew cook-offs and festivals, bringing people together and boosting local economies.

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