Brunswick’s historic homes have long been framed by gardens that reflect the pride and personality of the families who live there. During the city’s Gilded Age, tending flowers and ornamental plants was a favorite pastime among many residents, including two well-known local figures—Columbia Downing Jr. and Charles Spottiswood Tait.
Columbia Downing Jr., a Civil War veteran from Ohio, arrived in Brunswick in 1881 as an agent for Standard Oil. When the company abandoned its naval stores venture, Downing purchased the operation and built it into the successful firm C. Downing Jr. & Company. He later helped organize the First National Bank of Brunswick and served as its first president. In 1886 he built his stately mansion on Egmont Street overlooking Halifax Square, one of the city’s grand residences of the era.
Original photograph by Charles S Tait Sr., restored and colorized by Josh Dukes
Major Columbia Downing tending to the lush flowering garden in front of his home on Egmont Street.
A wonderful photograph from the period shows Major Columbia Downing (1845–1924), pausing in front of his home to admire the lush flowers in his yard. Though a busy and prominent businessman, Downing clearly enjoyed his gardens. The image also reveals the mansion’s original Victorian porch draped in creeping vines and flowering plants. In 1910, Downing replaced that porch with an impressive neo-classical veranda, but his love of gardening remained.
Colorized by Josh Dukes
Charles S. Tait, Sr.
Another Brunswick resident who combined business success with a passion for plants was Charles Spottiswood Tait Sr. (1861–1939), vice president of the Downing Company and an enthusiastic amateur photographer. From the 1880s through the 1920s, Tait documented Brunswick life through his camera while quietly nurturing another interest—horticulture.
In the 1920s, Tait purchased New Hope Plantation, transforming the former rice fields into acres of flowering bulbs. His daughter Margaret Tait Radcliffe later recalled vast rows of amaryllis, narcissus, and daffodils blooming across the property. Tait even patented several ornamental varieties during the decade, including a camellia known as “Tait’s Masterpiece.”
Today Brunswick’s landscape continues to evolve, but traces of these two gentleman gardeners remain. Tait’s Dartmouth Street home still features lush plantings, while the Downing Mansion—now Brunswick Manor—welcomes visitors with a solarium of orchids and other ornamentals that would have made the Major proud.
Josh Dukes is a local historian, digital photo restoration specialist, and co-author of Brunswick: Past & Present (available at local retailers and online at joshdukesofficial.com.)
