Author: Finding Home Bahamas

Magna Carta Court

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View of Magna Carta Court from Parliament and Shirley Street intersection (2021).

At the northwest corner of the Shirley and Parliament Street intersection, stands a curious stone edifice. The street facades are not decorated. Instead, the original quarried limestone blocks are exposed and their history on full display. The roof is a simple hip with wooden shingles, and windows have flat arches with hinged colonial-style wooden shutters at their sides. The shutters, along with the colonial-style wooden doors, are painted bright red and provide an artful contrast to the uncolored stone building. A wall of wooden louvers is located at the rear of the building rather than front-facing toward the street, in reverse to the typical arrangement. This property, known as Magna Carta Court, dates to the 1780s and is outstanding as its main building and out-buildings are some of the few exposed-stone structures in Nassau. While the structures date to the 1780s, their current look and feel are due in large part to its twentieth-century owner, Edward Dawson Roberts, and his family.

View from Shirley Street showing the southern face of the Magna Carta Court building (2021).

Records indicate that the property was once larger. It was first granted to Robert Duncome, a Loyalist and merchant, in 1789. On February 26, 1802, the property was divided and the southern portion, which is today the Magna Carta Court property, was sold to David Rogers, a cabinet maker.[1] In 1802, David Rogers and his wife Elizabeth sold the property to Aaron Dixon.[2] Dixon had come to The Bahamas from Scotland and established a business on Shirley Street. He died on December 3, 1809, and in his will, he bequeathed the lot to Christ Church. He stipulated that the lot, with all its buildings, be rented and that any profit after maintenance is paid be applied to the education of fatherless children. The property remained in the possession of the vestrymen of Christ Church from 1809 to 1859. In 1859, a special act of the legislature was passed to permit the sale of the property by public auction.[3] At this time, the property required repairs in an amount greater than Dixon’s estate could afford. Vestry of Christ Church auctioned the Magna Carta property at the Vendue House in 1860. It was sold to Sarah Elizabeth Sears Alday, who is described as a widow.[4] When Alday died intestate in 1885, the property went to her six daughters. In 1895, Alday’s daughter, Maria, who was married to Ernest Kingsbury Moore but was then a widow, purchased the interest of her five sisters.[5] Maria Moore operated a commercial bakery on the premises. The bakery was located on the ground floor on the southern end of the building. An old oven remains preserved on the property.

On November 7, 1931, Maria Moore conveyed the property by deed of gift to her son, Walter Kingsbury Moore (later Sir Walter) in trust. The property was occupied by Maria Moore’s two unmarried daughters – Hattie Julia Elizabeth Moore and Olive Rhoda Moore. After the last of the daughters died in 1975, the property was rented as an antique shop for a few years. On May 21, 1979, Sir Walter’s children, Walter Kingsbury Moore, Junior through his company Kingsbury Securities Limited and Winnifred Maude Sands (nee Moore), sold the property to Splendid Investments Limited.[6] It was then transferred to Star Corners Limited and prominent Bahamian lawyer, Edward Dawson Roberts, in 1982.[7] E. Dawson Roberts was the son of James Roberts, a carpenter and boat builder from Hope Town, Abaco. His mother, Hattie Roberts was a direct descendant of Wyannie Malone, one of the first Loyalist settlers at Hope Town.

View of the southwestern side of Magna Carta Court (2021).

When E. Dawson Roberts acquired the Magna Carta property in 1982 to house his law office, the buildings were plastered and painted brown. His appreciation for the history and natural beauty of the property led him to restore the buildings. He removed the plaster from the exterior surfaces to expose the cut quarry stones for decorative effect. The interior was also renovated, and the roofs replaced. The buildings were repointed in 2017. It was Roberts who named the property “Magna Carta Court.” Today, the buildings still house the firm of E. Dawson Roberts and Company and remain an eye-catching icon of historic Downtown Nassau.

Article written by Dana Newton, Anea Knowles, and Kelly Fowler.

References:

[1] “Lease and Release”, Registry of Records (Book M. 2), 271-276. Provided in notes by E. Dawson Roberts, courtesy of Lori Lowe.

[2] Ibid., (Book O. 2), 30-37.

[3] On April 30, 1859, an Act was passed “to authorize the church wardens and vestrymen for the time being of the Parish of Christ Church, in the Island of New Providence, to sell and convey a lot of land situate in the Parish of Christ Church, formerly the property of a certain Aaron Dixon, deceased.” Found in Laws of The Bahamas 1859, No. 14, 22 Victoria. Department of Archives, Nassau, Bahamas.

[4] Russell, Nassau’s Historic Buildings, 29.

[5] Ibid., (Book P. 10), 360-393.

[6] Ernest Moore had previously sold his one-third share to his brother Walter K. Moore, Jr.

[7] “Lawyer E. Dawson Roberts Dies Age 85,” Tribune (Nassau, N.P.), April 1, 2012.

1942 Riots in Nassau

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Serious Rioting in Bay Street

SHOPS LOOTED BY UNRULY MOB

DISTURBANCES ORIGINATE FROM WAGE DISPUTE

“Serious Rioting in Bay Street.” Nassau Guardian, June 1, 1942. Pages 1-2.

Bay Street to-day was the scene of a serious disturbance, unprecedented in the history of the Bahamas. Before the riot was quelled, Bay Street presented a picture of devastation, practically every shop window having been smashed and rifled. Not even the Red Cross Centre in George Street escaped the fury of the mob.

The events leading up to the riot were as follows: Yesterday afternoon a party of police, headed by Captain Sears, was called to the scene of a construction project to restore order among a party of workmen who were agitating for higher wages.

The prompt action of the police prevented any further spread of the disorder, but the men went on strike and dispersed.

This incident was followed by a conference last night between representatives of the contractors and the labour leaders. After a lengthy meeting an agreement was reached whereby the workers were to report back to the scene of the construction, pending further conferences. It was thought that the settlement was in sight.

It appears that the workers, however, did not abide by the decisions of their representatives and shortly before nine o clock this morning some hundreds of the workers, followed by a large crowd of hangers-on – including women and children – entered Bay Street via George Street and marched in a reasonably quiet manner up the street until they reached a central point. Between Fredrick and Charlotte Streets, without any apparent warning, the breaking of a single window by an individual was the signal for the general smashing of windows up and down the main thoroughfare.

A Coca Cola truck, parked in the street was set upon and the bottles were used as hand missiles.

While the rioting was at its height a cordon of police with fixed bayonets and steel helmets came down from the barracks and remained standing in formation for some time in front of the Post Office, while the sound of breaking glass and the shouts of the crowd could be heard up and down the street. After a time these policemen moved along Bay Street and were successful in dispersing many of the rioters, who nevertheless re-assembled shortly afterwards in other places.

When it was evident that the police could not cope with the situation a detachment of the British forces were called in and shortly before mid-day members of the Volunteer Defence Force were summoned to the Barracks. By this time order had been restored in the city, though throughout the early afternoon isolated cases of violence were dealt with and some arrests made.

Looting

Many of the stores in Bay Street were extensively looted; in several instances shops were completely emptied of their stocks. Hundreds of people were seen with armfuls of stolen goods leaving the city, and as soon as the streets were sufficiently clear all suspects were ordered to show the contents of parcels they were carrying.

Some of the loot has been recovered, and arrests were made and the damage to property and merchandise runs into many thousands of pounds. Cars, both moving and stationary, were attacked and badly damaged, in some cases the owners being at the wheel.

Liquor stores were amongst those looted and the drunkenness resulting added fuel to the fire.

Grant’s Town

Disorders continued in Grant’s Town throughout the afternoon and in some cases the military had to resort to force. The Riot Act had previously been read. A number of casualties have been reported from this section.

The ambulance, going to the rescue of some of the casualties was attacked, set on fire and completely destroyed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Government announces situation now at hand.” Nassau Guardian, June 2, 1942. Pages 1-2.

Government announces situation now at hand

ADDITIONAL FORCES ARRIVE THIS MORNING

The Acting Colonial Secretary, the Hon. C.P. Bethel, I.S.O., told ‘The Nassau Guardian’ to-day that at an early hour this afternoon the situation in all parts of New Providence was well in hand. The curfew which was ordered yesterday was carefully observed in all quiet areas, but it was not effective in the Southern District, where outbreaks occurred throughout the night. The Grant’s Town Police Station was destroyed, and the fire engine kept there badly damaged. The Post Office and the Public Library in this section were also attacked and damaged. Liquor shops were broken into and looted and grocery shops were pillaged. Four milk depots operated by Eleuthera, Limited, were broken into and damaged and the Silver Slipper club was also raided by the rioters.

The Police, the British Forces and Volunteer Defence Force have been on duty almost unceasingly since yesterday and have acted admirably in a difficult situation. This morning they were reinforced by additional forces from outside the Colony.

Riot in East Shirley Street

Two truckloads of rioters proceeding east along East Shirley St. early this morning were stopped in the vicinity of William and Fowler Streets by the British Forces. A disturbance caused and lasted for about an hour the men being divided and after some further time dispersed.

Two of the Cole-Thompson pharmacies, one in Grant’s Town and the other in East Shirley Street, were the object of attack by rioters. The contents of both stores were completely looted and what was not desired was wantonly destroyed. Large stocks were carried at both stores and a considerable quantity of essential drugs and medicaments, which may be extremely difficult to replace in present conditions, were scattered to the winds. Several liquor stores were damaged.

A number of casualties have been reported but no official statement has been made on this subject.

Two of the Cole-Thompson pharmacies, one in Grant’s Town and the other in East Shirley Street, were the object of attack by rioters. The contents of both stores were completely looted and what was not desired was wantonly destroyed. Large stocks were carried at both stores and a considerable quantity of essential drugs and medicaments, which may be extremely difficult to replace in present conditions, were scattered to the winds. Several liquor stores were damaged.

A number of casualties have been reported but no official statement has been made on this subject.

Some Loot Recovered

During the day further loot was recovered both in New Providence and from small boats about to leave the harbor, and arrests were being made throughout the day.

The Magistrate’s Court was not in session today.

The City

Bay Street presented a mournful picture to-day, reminiscent of the aftermath of a hurricane. Practically every window was covered with wooden shutters and many shops were closed entirely but food and other essentials were obtainable. The Royal Bank of Canada, which did not open yesterday, carried on a restricted business to-day…

“Damage Incurred During the Riot.” Nassau Guardian, June 6, 1942. Page 2.

DAMAGE INCURRED DURING THE RIOT

…The following shops and buildings had windows – most of them large plate glass windows – broken during the disturbance on Monday morning last:

The Red Cross Centre, Mayfair Beauty Salon and I-Needa-Laundry on the corner of George and Marborough Streets.

George Street

Melita’s Island Bookshop, Kenneth Butler Co., George Street Dept. Store, George Street Market, Robert’s Radio Shop, W.H. Sands.

Bay Street

Lightbourn’s Pharmacy, John Bull’s Tobacco Store, The Wren. Black’s Candy Kitchen, Juvenile Shop, W.E.G. Pritchard, City Pharmacy and W.P. Saunders, (Holmes Building), H.N. Chipman, New Ice House, White Horse Store, Sury’s, New Colonial Pharmacy, Big Four Wine Store, Jaeger Shop, all shops in Baker Building, Savoy Theatre, Nassau Drug Department Store, Lifetime Furniture Co., Fine’s Department Store, William’s Department Store, The Baby Shop, Ruben’s, The Men’s Shop, Pyform’s Dry Goods Shop, G.R. Sweeting, Grand Central Restaurant, Cole’s Pharmacy, W.T. Saunders, Home Industries, General Hardware Co. (China Shop), Sally’s and Vera’s, Windor Shop, Jas. P. Sands Co., (door), Dr. Cleary, Mr. Stanley Hilton, Paris Shop, Development Board Office, Malone’s Jewellery shop, and Just off Bay Street, Moseley’s Book Store.

East Bay Street

Bethell-Robertson and Baker Brothers.

East Shirley Street

Damaged on Tuesday; Cole-Thompson’s Pharmacy, Old Plantation Inn.

Grant’s Town

The Police Station was set on fire and badly damaged, the Post Office was looted and badly damaged and books and pictures in the Grant’s Town Library above the post office were destroyed. Malcolm’s Service Station was badly damaged and at Cole-Thompson’s new pharmacy the entire stock was stolen or destroyed.

In East Street, South, The Cinema, was very badly damaged and seats, &c. destroyed and the interior of the Silver Slipper Club was wrecked. Practically all bar rooms in the Southern district were looted.

The above list is probably incomplete, but it was difficult to ascertain minor damage.

Early Disease Control at Athol Island Quarantine Station

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From The Journal of The Bahamas Historical Society November 2018

Article by Kelly Delancy

Cholera, typhoid and yellow fever were among the most deadly known diseases to threaten the wellbeing of the nineteenth century Bahamas. These and other infectious diseases spread quickly from shore to shore with the increase in movement and migration during the Age of Sail. New Providence was particularly vulnerable to the spread and incubation of infectious disease due to its popularity among foreign visitors, its use as the central market for Out-Islanders, and the often crowded, unsanitary living conditions.

The Bahamas experienced its first epidemic in 1852-1853 after the bacterium, Vibrio cholera, gained passage to Nassau on the Bahamian vessel, Reform, which had sailed from New York2. At the height of the epidemic, New Providence experienced 70 cholera deaths per week. The disease then spread to the far reaches of the colony. The death toll included 696 in Nassau, 178 in Harbour Island, approximately 200 in the remainder of Eleuthera, 108 in Abaco, and 40 in Ragged Island 3. The cholera outbreak was followed by a series of yellow fever outbreaks.

Legislation was passed in 1856 authorising the establishment of the Athol Island Quarantine Station in response to the scourge of epidemic disease introduced to the colony by ill passengers on board vessels travelling to and through the Bahama Islands. The construction of this quarantine station followed the passing of several quarantine laws in the mid-nineteenth century. As early as 1845, legislation required that “all vessels arriving at the port of Nassau, together with all persons, goods, and merchandise whatsoever…coming from any port or place where any contagious or malignant disorder shall exist … [shall] be liable to perform quarantine”4. Any ship without a bill of health from its port of departure was to be treated as a ship arriving from an infected port.

Nassau harbour pilots were responsible for inquiring as to the origin of ships from the ship masters and identifying whether the incoming ship was sailing from an infected port. If it was found that an incoming vessel was sailing from an infected port, carrying ill passengers or had experienced a death as a result of disease, the vessel was to be quarantined for two to fourteen days. If any other passengers became ill during this time, the ship would remain in quarantine for an additional fourteen days or until the sickness ceased5. While in quarantine, these ships were required to hoist a yellow flag during the day or a national ensign of the ship at half mast, and a quarantine light at night signifying its infected or suspected status. Once cleared by the health officer, the ship would receive a certificate and be free to continue on to any port in The Bahamas6.

Prior to the construction of the Athol Island Quarantine Station, infected vessels were permitted to quarantine at an anchorage at Salt Cay, Rose Island or Athol Island. The 1871 Quarantine Act established the quarantine station at Athol Island as the exclusive quarantine location for Nassau. The south side of the island was identified by the Chief Civil Engineer, Thomas C. Harvey, as most suitable for the quarantine station because it was dry, free from swamps and rose to a height of 30 feet above sea level. The island also contained fresh water wells and soil suitable for fruit trees7.

The quarantine complex was unique in its architectural form and features. The station took the form of four detached octagonal buildings made from local limestone rocks bonded together and plastered with locally made lime plaster. The design represents a rationalist approach to institutional building popularized during the Victorian era (1837-1901) by American architect, Orson S. Fowler. The octagonal form was believed to better withstand storms and promote ventilation. The quarantine station complex included an octagonal convalescent hospital surrounded by open verandas, an octagonal kitchen building, an octagonal main hospital building, an octagonal quarantine officer’s dwelling, and subsidiary buildings. Vessels would dock at the wharf on the island’s south side to supply medical staff, patients and visitors.

With the presence of a dedicated quarantine station, infected persons and those suspected to have been in contact with disease had the option of completing quarantine on board the ship, at the discretion of the ship’s master and health officer, or in the quarantine station. At the station, the quarantine officer would hoist a yellow flag to signify that persons were detained therein. Persons in quarantine were not permitted to leave their ship or the station until discharged by the health officer.

The Athol Island Quarantine Station was operational until 1929 when the complex was severely damaged by a hurricane and subsequently abandoned. A 2004 archaeological survey revealed that elements of the station still survive. Archaeologists identified ruins of the convalescent hospital, kitchen, main hospital, store, physician’s office, keeper’s dwelling, keeper’s kitchen, flagstaff, latrine building, stone jetty and access steps from the original wharf8.

The Athol Island Quarantine Station is significant in that it was the first dedicated quarantine complex in The Bahamas and in the Caribbean9. It was among Nassau’s most important public buildings and successive colonial governors ensured its good working order as a necessity for good public health. While much of the physical station has become overtaken by surrounding vegetation, its legacy stands in the form of a Bahamian populace descendant from those spared from disease as a result of its existence.

Endnotes

1. [Image] Thomas C. Harvey C.E. Design for Convalescent Hospital at Athol Island. CO23/151:340, August 1856, Department of Archives, Nassau.

2. Craton, Michael and Gail Saunders. Islanders in the Stream: A History of the Bahamian People, vol. 2. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998:64

3. Ibid.

4. Brooker, Colin. Historic Cultural Resource Reconnaissance of Athol Island. Preliminary Report of Field and Research Activity, April 20-24, 2004 to the AMMC, p.5.

5. Brooker, 2004, 6.

6. Quarantine Act of 1905. Statute Law of The Bahamas, ch. 237.

7. Brooker, 2004, 8.

8. Brooker, 2004, 12-13.

9. Brooker, 2004, 14.

Remember, Remember the 5th of November

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Have you participated in the Guy Fawkes tradition of lighting a bonfire and burning a ceremonial effigy? Do you know who Guy Fawkes was?  Do you remember the 5th of November 1605?

Many people in the United Kingdom and former British territories are looking forward to fireworks, parades and bonfires to be held on November 5th in the name of Guy Fawkes. The tradition stems from the events of 1605 and commemorates the foiled conspiracy known as the “Gunpowder Plot” by a group of Roman Catholic proponents. The group led by Warwickshire born Robert Catesby sought to blow up the English Parliament and assassinate King James I and his ministers, who had succeeded Queen Elizabeth I. They had hoped for an end to religious persecution under King James I, but religious freedom for English Catholics had not been granted. The conspirators expected the explosion to result in an uprising of English Catholics against the penal laws.

The plot was intended to be executed on November 5th, which was the state opening of Parliament. 36 barrels of gun powder overlaid with wood were smuggled into the cellar of Parliament to be ignited by Guy (Guido) Fawkes.

The plot was jeopardized when an anonymous letter was sent to William Parker, the 4th Baron Monteagle on October 26th (which may have been sent by Lord Monteagle’s Catholic brother-in-law Francis Tresham). The letter warned him not to attend Parliament on the opening day. The letter was shared with others and led to a search of Westminster Palace on November 4th and the discovery of the gunpowder and Guy Fawkes in the early hours of November 5th.

Fawkes was arrested and tortured until he confessed the names of the other conspirators. He was then sent to the gallows to be hung, drawn and quartered as was the punishment for traitors. However, Fawkes jumped from the gallows and died of a broken neck. The remaining conspirators were arrested and executed or died evading capture.

Today, fireworks represent the explosives that were not ignited in November 5th, 1605. While dummies called “guys” were sacrificed to represent Guy Fawkes’ treason, today’s “guys” may take the form of popular figures like polititians, celebrities and even cartoon characters.

 

Photo by Anea Knowles

Grandma’s Glasses

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Where do people go when they die? Or as they are dying?

Here in The Bahamas, it is not uncommon to hear the term “traveling” in reference to someone near death. Many Bahamians believe in an afterlife and older Bahamians often reference the transition between life on earth and the afterlife as the traveling of one’s spirit. While present in body, one’s spirit wanders in between here and there, and may visit loved ones along the way. Mary Cartwright of Long Island recalls her childhood encounter with a traveling spirit. The experience was so frightening she and her siblings have not been able to forget it.

At this time electricity had not yet arrived on Long Island and lanterns were used for light. Outside was often cooler than inside, so spare time would be spent outside the house for as long as possible. It was late in the evening and Mary was preparing to sing in a Christmas program that was quickly approaching. She was outside going over the song with her two brothers and her grandmother. Her grandma had always liked to sing.

As the evening grew darker, her grandma asked one of the children to bring her glasses from in the house. They sung for a long time before they went back inside. Her grandma had placed the glasses next to the kerosene lamp outside. As the children filed inside, they noticed their grandma’s glasses on a table next to a different lamp near the hallway. “Did you bring the glasses inside? …David? Thomas? Mary? Grandma?” they asked each other. No one had brought the glasses in. As children, they became alarmed. They couldn’t understand how the glasses got there. Her grandma calmly told them not to worry about it, just leave the glasses there on the table.

The children sat in the living room and talked. They were not tired enough to go to bed yet. Mary and her brothers were entertaining themselves when they glanced over at the table and noticed the glasses were gone. Now they were sure they had a legitimate reason to be fearful. Everyone knew the glasses were last on the table near the hallway and nobody had touched them since. The glasses were being moved absent of anyone in the house moving them.

Their grandma had gone into the bathroom, but left the door ajar. She could hear the commotion in the living room from bathroom. When she came out, she stood in the hallway and said “now Rosa, if you took my glasses now, bring ‘em back! I can’t read without ‘em. I need ma glasses”. Her grandma left the hallway and went into the kitchen. The glasses were now on the kitchen table. She took the glasses to the bedroom where Mary’s grandfather had been sleeping. She woke him up and told him to hold on to the glasses. Mary and her brothers climbed into the bed with their grandfather, pulled the old, worn sheets over themselves firmly, disregarded the heat in light of the fear that had gripped them and closed their eyes tight. Before they knew it, they were fast asleep.

At about 1 am, while the children were asleep, their grandma and grandpa left to go to the house of their Aunt Rosa. Two days later, their Aunt Rosa died.

Mary’s grandma had a feeling the odd incidents were Rosa communicating, through mischief, that she needed to come and see her before she left her earthy home for an other-worldly resting place. Mary’s Grandma told her “right now this Rosa…Rosa say ‘well Karen ain’t come see me? Well I ga take her glasses’”.

It was by the nudging of a traveling spirit that Mary’s grandma ended up going to visit with their Aunt Rosa before Rosa died. Her grandma felt it was something she had to do. She took the odd incidents as a sign of Rosa’s traveling and that Rosa’s physical death was near. Mary says “Ms. Rosa was on her way out ‘cause she wanted her [grandma] to come and visit her”.

The names in this story were changed to protect the privacy of these persons.

On the Water

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Some people believe that our senses process very little of the physical world and that there is far more to reality than we experience on a daily basis. They believe that every now and then, a person may gain access, wittingly or unwittingly, to happenings beyond the perceived natural. This experience of a Long Island fisherman would suggest that there is something more to the natural lives that we lead.

Charles Curry always preferred fishing alone, despite his friends’ disapproval. They often told him not to go alone because it was not safe and warned that “one of these times, Charles, somebody ga scare the hell outta you”.

Charles continued as usual. He left his wife at home and went out fishing by himself. When he returned home, his wife asked him about the trip. Charles did not speak. He could not speak to his wife for three days. After three days, he told her this story:

He was out on the water fishing when he saw a coffin coming toward him through the water in a huge wave. As it came closer to his boat, he saw that in the casket was his friend. He was terrified. He remembered the words of that friend telling him one of these days someone would scare the hell out him going fishing by himself.

Days later, this friend died.

Do you believe in a supernatural realm? Have you had a similar experience? Share your thoughts and experience with us.

 

The fisherman’s name in this story was changed to protect his privacy.

Legacy & Legend

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The islands of The Bahamas are home to some of the last hand-wound, kerosene-fueled lighthouses in the world. Commissioned by the British government in 1833, eleven imperial lighthouses, as well as other historic lighthouses, have stood the test of time. They have been apathetic overseers in decades of triumph and tragedy, in trades of goods and people via the high seas. Many, just like us, are haunted by traumatic events past – memories that refuse to rest and decompose in the graveyard of our minds, but persist and wander through to present themselves as reminders of the worst.

18 miles north of Bimini, on the western edge of the Great Bahama Bank, stands Great Isaac. Great Isaac is a 137-foot overseer with eyes over dark water for 23 miles all around. Its existence from its very outset is marred by tragedy.

It was in 1833, that the chartered ship, Stanley, left England with large, weighty pieces of iron, glass, and machinery that would become Great Isaac. While unloading on the north tip of the cay, both of her anchors were dragged by a strong norther and the ship was driven onto off-lying reefs by onshore winds. The grounding tore a gaping hole in the hull.  All of the workmen on the Stanley survived, but the cabin boy had been washed overboard and was struggling for his life. All concern had been above water, but the danger lay below.  The cabin boy, in his attempt to reach the shore, was attacked by a shark that tore his body in two.  The lower half of his body is buried on Great Isaac Cay. His spirit since wanders the cay and haunts Great Isaac…at least according to witnesses who have seen this young boy around from time to time.

Later decades brought to the cay new life…and new death, as local fishermen can attest. One day in the late 19th century, fishermen noticed a ship wrecked off the shores of the cay. Upon approach, broken ship parts and the mangled bodies of her passengers could be seen scattered over the land. Among them was the body of a young woman, still holding her infant.  The baby boy had somehow survived the maelstrom. Since that ill-fated journey and the day fishermen steered away from Great Isaac Cay carrying a rescued infant boy, there have been reports of a ghostly grey lady wandering the grounds, up and down, and into the Great Isaac lighthouse in search of her child. Some say a full moon brings strange noises to the tiny island. Some say that even today, you can hear her moaning, wailing in sorrow as she searches about the lighthouse for her long-lost son.

Paranormal activity and mystery at Great Isaac do not end with the Grey Lady. On 4 August 1969, the light station was discovered undisturbed but abandoned. All food and gear were accounted for and nothing missing except the two keepers. Its two missing keepers were never found.

These are just a few tales of one lighthouse. Doubtless, there are many, many more.

Photo of Great Isaac by Matthew Potenski

Silent Stories

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In his book, Silencing the Past, M.R. Trouillot observed that “any historical narrative is a bundle of silences” (Trouillot 1995: 27). This process is what he terms an act of silencing. It is not merely absences, but an active process in which “one silences a fact as an individual silences a gun” (Trouillot 1995: 48). All historical narratives ipso facto contain silences, because any attribution of significance implies parallel attribution of insignificance, but it is the actively manufactured absences in historical production as a result of power that Trouillot takes issue with. He writes that silencing takes place at four points in the production of history. They are the moments of fact creation (making of sources), assembly (making of archives), retrieval (making of narratives) and retrospective significance (making of history). He illustrates how those in positions of power have created, controlled and/or appropriated narratives about the past (Haitian Revolution, Columbus), and secured the subordination of subaltern narratives. These individuals and nations have often done so as they have largely influenced the making of sources, archives, narratives and history, in efforts to secure positions of dominance and legacies of majesty. These groups decide what and who is important and significant to history and at the same time, what and who is unimportant and insignificant. He writes of a historical guild in the present that includes academics, professional historians, journalists, political appointees and who often discuss, build on and perpetuate dominant narratives and trajectories (Trouillot 1995: 19).

Heritage, being a past legacy in the present, has developed in much the same way. The silencing of subaltern narratives as described by Trouillot (1995) and the lack of representation of subaltern heritages become evident when examining Bahamian history and heritage. Some narratives that lack representation are those of the Afro-Bahamian experience, women, Out Island community development, and the arrival and contributions of other nationals and ethnic groups to cultural milieu of The Bahamas. The lack of historical data on these subjects contribute to misrepresentations of heritage, and as Jamaican cultural theorist Stuart Hall (2014) expresses, “those who do not see themselves reflected in national heritage are excluded from it.”

Understanding that written histories of The Bahamas have been compiled from documents created and archived by that of the dominant society, being the British government, one must acknowledge that these documents, the very source for compiled histories, contain inherent biases. Images of The Bahamas have been gleaned from Colonial Office records (produced by British administrative officials), newspapers (introduced by Loyalists and largely for their interests) and early literature, such as the recollections of stipendiary magistrate, L.D. Powles in The Land of the Pink Pearl (1996). In his writing, Powles (1996) displays biases toward a European worldview in his terming of Africans as lazy and his explication of “Nassau Negrology” (Powles 1996: 78). These sources have been assembled and retrieved by those of the historical guild in the creation of narratives that are today known as Bahamian history. Narratives of the subaltern are, at best, inferred from these sources.

At the time of independence in 1973, the most widely read book on Bahamian history was Michael Craton’s A History of The Bahamas published in 1962. It has been recognized to be a history of the dominant white elite with a view of black Bahamians and the African past that they would have approved of (Johnson 2000: 16).  Of the ethnic groups from West Africa, Craton wrote:

Practically their only common denominator was ignorance and primitive barbarianism…for good or for bad, the institution of slavery gave these Africans their first unity. Very quickly their tribal identities broke down; their babble of tongues before the unity of a single European language; their customs before their unity of a single law; their religion before the attractions or organized coercion of Christianity (Craton 1962: 188)

Further to the silencing of the African experience in The Bahamas is the story of a slave girl named Kate. There is very little literature on plantation life in The Bahamas. Information on plantations tend to focus on economic production, its rise and fall, population and its mildness relative to other British West Indian colonies and the United States (Saunders 1983). Kate’s story is set on Crooked Island in the southern Bahamas. She was a 16-year-old domestic slave, also known as a house niggress on the plantation owned by James Moss. Kate was accused of theft and disobedience, of refusing to mend her clothes, and of not performing her work. On July 22, 1826, Kate was confined to the stocks for seventeen days and nights without intermission.  Mr. Henry Moss and his wife, Helen, rubbed red pepper (capsicum) in Kate’s eyes to prevent her from sleeping (Murray 1999). While in the stocks she was given tasks, which she was unable to perform and flogged for non-performance. In the following days, she was sent to labor in the fields and continually flogged until she died.

The court sentenced Mr. and Mrs. Moss to imprisonment in the common prison at Nassau for 5 months and a payment of a £300 fine.  Even with this lenient sentence, the “most respectable inhabitants of the town and colony” wrote to the Governor, General Lewis Grant, to remit the sentence of Mr. and Mrs. Moss. The Governor then wrote to Lord Bathurst to authorize the remission.  He was anxious that persons of their respectability be spared from imprisonment lest they be deemed cruel. He writes “the unfortunate Henry and Helen Moss are to be pitied for the untoward melancholy occurrence which has taken place” (The Negro’s Friend pamphlet).

Kate’s story presents many questions. The account highlights the ontological traditions of Europe in the suppression of these incidents. The voices of the oppressed were and are only ever heard by inferring in the recorded histories of the oppressors, like Kate’s. It is also special because Bahamian history hardly mentions females let alone female slaves. Is this the one and only time something like this happened? The Anti Slavery society writes that a “violent distemper had been prevalent on the plantation during the summer” (The Negro’s Friend pamphlet). This incident also took place years after the failure of cotton due to the chenille worm and red bugs in 1805 (Saunders 2010). This raises questions of what was taking place on Bahamian plantations, and what more was being suppressed and silenced?

Kate’s story is one of whispers. It is largely untold and typical of Bahamian history. The oppressed often have no voice. These groups are not necessarily physically bound or incapable of sharing their stories, but may believe that they or their stories are of no value. Therefore, they are not shared, verbalized or written. This is partly why little is known of the Bahamian past and why many Bahamians believe The Bahamas has no history. The Bahamas has history, and plenty of it. It’s just a matter of finding it.

Click here for the story of “Poor Black Kate.”