The park's name is a memorial to Robert T. Brown, a lieutenant in the United States Navy who was killed during World War II aboard the submarine USS Scorpion.

[1] The park is located on a plot of land that was once Petersburg, a small town that thrived during the 1790s due to its location where the Broad River and Savannah River met.

When water levels are low, however, the old town of Petersburg can once again be glimpsed by visitors.

In 2015, a lease agreement was reached with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

The park is now operated by the government of Elbert County, Georgia.