Pembroke has served as the county seat for Bryan County since 1937. The county seat is the city or town which serves as the administrative center or seat of government for the county.
The first county seat for Bryan County was Clyde, a community no longer in existence and was located in what is currently Fort Stewart Reservation. In the early 1900’s Clyde did serve as the county seat, however with the construction of the Savannah and Western Railroad through north Bryan County and with the development of businesses and homes along with railway, Pembroke had become the commercial and business center of the county. Since the railroad did not pass near the community of Clyde, discussions centered on designating a new county seat and moving the county courthouse to a new location. After much debate, the citizens of Bryan County voted on December 18, 1935 to move the county seat of government from Clyde to Pembroke. With more than two-thirds vote in favor of locating the county seat in Pembroke, legislation was introduced in 1937 by State Representative D. B. Warnell and was ratified by the Georgia General Assembly. Records were moved from Clyde to the Masonic Lodge building in Pembroke where temporary county offices were set up until the new two story brick courthouse was completed and dedicated on May 18, 1938. The courthouse located on South College Street in Pembroke continues to serve today as the seat of Bryan County government.