Nassau's past is preserved in rich little pockets of history almost hidden throughout the country's capital. Peeking into these pockets is rewarding, educational and fun, if you know where to look.
The Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Act of 1998 created a corporation to preserve heritage through conservation, restoration and promotion of historic sites, buildings monuments and artefacts of archeological and cultural value.
Most imposing fort
Fort Charlotte, a most imposing edifice just west of downtown, is actually three forts in one.
The original Fort Charlotte, named after the the consort of King George III, was built by Lord Dunmore, considered by some historians as "possibly the most eccentric man in Bahamian history."
Officially known as the Earl of Dunmore, Viscount Fincastle and HE the Governor, he was unofficially "renowned for crossing the thin line between genius and madness as casually as most people brush their teeth," according to a 1989 story in Welcome Bahamas.
The fort was built between 1787 and 1798. Construction began in earnest shortly after Lord Dunmore, former Royal Governor of Virginia, was appointed Governor of the Colony. The middle section, Fort Stanley, and the western bastion, Fort D'Arcy, completed the complex.
Every boy's dream
Lord Dunmore named Fort D'Arcy in honour of the royal engineer, John D'Arcy, who was sent out from London to finish Fort Charlotte "without bankrupting the British Empire," according to Welcome Bahamas. D'Arcy, however, didn't want the fort named after him. He considered it a military monstrosity.
Fort Charlotte is every boy's dream of what a fort should be, with a surrounding moat and wooden bridge, thick walls with holes for cannons and muskets, corridors, staircases and dungeons carved into the solid rock. At press time, plans to upgrade the fort had been announced.
Clifford Park, the grounds below Fort Charlotte, was the venue for one of The Bahamas most dramatic and memorable celebrations. Named after the Hon Sir Bede Clifford, one of the most colourful of Bahamian Royal Governors (1932-36), the park hosted Bahamian independence festivities, July 10, 1973.
Fort Fincastle, atop the Queen's Staircase on Bennett's Hill is shaped like a paddle-wheel steamer. The building was completed in 1793 and named after one of Lord Dunmore's several titles: Viscount Fincastle. It originally carried 32-, 24- and 12-pound cannons. The fort served as The Bahamas first lighthouse before one was built on Hog Island (now Paradise Island) in 1817. The Water Tower adjacent to the fort was built in 1928 and, at 216 feet above sea level, offers magnificent views of Nassau and the harbour.
Eastern Redoubt
Fort Montagu, on East Bay St, was completed in 1742 to guard the eastern end of Nassau Harbour. It was erected under the governance of John Tinker from local limestone on the site of an earlier fort built in the 1720s. It originally mounted 18-, 9- and 6-pound guns, and included a water cistern, guardroom and powder magazine. Fort Montagu, named after the Duke of Montagu, was captured in 1776 by an American raiding party that included war hero John Paul Jones. Some early Nassau maps referred to the structure as Fort Montague or Eastern Redoubt.
Fort Nassau was completed in 1697 to defend the entrance to Nassau Harbour but was destroyed six years later by a Spanish-French invasion force. It was reconditioned under the governorship of John Tinker more than three decades later, but was finally razed in 1837 to make way for military barracks. The barracks were demolished in 1899 to make way for the Colonial Hotel, forerunner of the British Colonial Hilton hotel we know today.
Closed for repair
Next door, Vendue House was originally built about 1784 as a bourse, an arcaded market place. The front features a Corinthian portico flanked by rough stone arches. Vendue House was the scene of regular auctions - of slaves, cattle, imported goods and the spoils of wreckers. The second storey was added after. The building was later used for offices of the telegraph, telephone and electricity departments.
Vendue House is now the site of the Pompey Museum of Slavery & Emancipation, which portrays slavery and the post-emancipation eras of The Bahamas. It was named after a rebel slave named Pompey who lived in Exuma about 1830.
The straw market fire of September, 2001, damaged the venerable Vendue House and it has been closed for repair and updating since. It was to reopen in January, 2003.
Upgrading of the exhibits to fully document the history of slavery and emancipation is under way. The second floor, from which a display of Bahamian art by Amos Ferguson was rescued, is to become a reading room and research centre devoted to slavery and emancipation.
Ferguson's paintings were to go on display at the National Art Gallery, the restored Villa Doyle on West Hill St. The gallery was to open in April, 2003, following extensive renovations on the 1860-built mansion.
Oldest residence
Balcony House on Market St is an architectural treasure, believed to be the oldest wooden residence in Nassau. This 1790-ish landmark is now owned by The Central Bank of The Bahamas and serves as a museum.
The house was at one time owned by Stephen and Charlotte Dillet, members of a prominent Bahamian family. It was later owned by Canadian newspaper magnate Lord Beaverbrook, and still later by John C Bryce, whose wife, Marie Josephine, was a sister of Huntington Hartford, the A&P food store heir. The bank acquired the house in 1985 and it was converted to a museum by 1993.
The Nassau Public Library, originally built as an octagonal jail in 1798-99, is one of the city's most interesting landmarks. The central area is surrounded by pie-shaped rooms which originally served as prison cells and are now used to store books and as reading rooms.
The upper floor is ringed by a gallery where a bell used to summon members to the House of Assembly in Parliament Square. It was converted to a public library and museum in 1873. The octagonal shape was inspired by the Old Powder Magazine at Williamsburg, Virginia, and Loyalist architect Joseph Eve employed the same theme when he built St Matthew's Church on Shirley St between 1800 and 1802.
Disclaimer: The information in this article/release was accurate at
press time; however, we suggest you confirm all details and prices
directly with vendors.
HOME | HOTELS | VILLAS | CRUISES | ACTIVITIES | SHOPPING | RESTAURANTS | MAPS | SPECIALS | YELLOW PAGES | NEWS
