photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Ninety-two: Cruising the Inland Passage from Charleston to Jacksonville > A haunted place, Dunwody Building, Brunswick, Georgia, 2014
previous | next
27-NOV-2014

A haunted place, Dunwody Building, Brunswick, Georgia, 2014

On March 6, 1915, Monroe Phillips, a mentally disturbed Brunswick real estate man convinced that six prominent Brunswick businessmen had stolen $25,000 from him, ran amuck in the center of downtown Brunswick. He killed five people, and wounded thirty two others with a shotgun before being gunned down by one of the wounded victims. The event was called as the “Brunswick Massacre.” The first person to die was Colonel Harry Dunwody, a former Brunswick mayor and a local lawyer. Dunwody was brutally murdered at his desk in his office on the second floor of this building, which still carries his name over its front door. A Dunwody client was shot in the face, but lived to tell the tale. An off-duty police officer was the second to die in the Dunwody Building, shot down by Phillips as he fled down the building’s stairs. A local judge, standing just behind the policeman, was wounded in the leg. The murderous spree continued on Brunswick’s main street, with Phillips taking three more lives and wounding another 30. In the midst of this mayhem, the wounded judge ran to a store, purchased a pistol, chased Phillips, and shot him dead. The massacre was over. It lasted just ten minutes. The Dunwody building still stands in the center of Brunswick, forever haunted by what happened here one hundred years ago. I made this image at sunset -- the ghostly forms of neighboring buildings reflect upon the office windows where the Brunswick Massacre began. The building still rents office suites on its second floor and retail spaces at street level.

FujiFilm X-T1
1/320s f/5.6 at 50.0mm iso800 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
share
Phil Douglis23-May-2022 06:41
Thanks so much for this information, Josh. Although the building itself may not be the same as the one that stood here in 1915, it stands upon the same site, so the area can be considered "haunted" as well. We can still use our imaginations to see whatever we wish within those windows!
Josh 04-Apr-2022 02:07
Hi there! The details of this story are mostly correct, except for the building itself. The current Dunwody building, pictured, was constructed in 1928. Henry Franklin "Harry" Dunwody was shot in 1915 in the earlier building which stood at this same location. The building where the murder took place was destroyed by fire in early 1928, which led to the construction of this building. Dunwody's widow, Mrs. Scotia Dunwody, still owned the property, which continued to carry the name "Dunwody Building".
Phil Douglis28-Oct-2019 21:53
Thanks for adding this observation, Lee. It brings additional perspective to this tragic story. I posted this image five years ago. Between 2014 and 2019, hundreds of people have been killed by domestic terrorists and seriously disturbed individuals bearing automatic weapons. Looking back to 1914, Monroe Phillips and his double-barrelled shotgun almost seem benign compared to today's killers wielding assault weapons. Yet the innocent victims of the "Brunswick Massacre" in 1914 were equally as helpless as they were gunned down by Phillip's shotgun.
Lee 25-Oct-2019 08:08
He killed them with a double-barreled shotgun, no AR-15...
Phil Douglis09-May-2015 20:28
Thanks, Tim. I've tried to imply the ghosty nature of this building in every window here. They come to us as reflections or as dimly seen objects within the stores. I'm glad that you noticed some of them.
Tim May08-May-2015 22:09
I note the ghosts in the store window on the first floor.
Phil Douglis04-Jan-2015 03:40
Thanks, Rose. I love the light in the upper windows as well, Rose. When I made this image, I had no idea of the murders within. The distorted reflections were ghostly in themselves. I always make a great effort to research my images after making them, and I was stunned to learn about the infamous "Brunswich Massacre" in this very building. It makes those reflections even more haunting.
sunlightpix02-Jan-2015 23:11
Wow, you could purchase a gun and kill someone in less than ten minutes.
I love the light in the upper windows and your captions are always astounding. V
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment