From Island to Deep Water Harbor

6:09 PM 4 Comments


The History of Pelican Island has always fascinated me, and I always asked myself why did the government of Barbados let that little island go to be replaced by the deep water harbor.

Pelican Island was a small, uninhabited island that once existed off the west coast of Bridgetown and Fontabelle, in St. Michael, Barbados. According to historical records, the island received its name from the brown pelicans that would nest there.
One weekend while chatting to a friend at home, we started to talk about Ruthann Discovery Tours. Just as I was telling my friend about the pelican tour, my mum chimed in and told us about her days on Pelican Island as a young girl. My Mother then went on to tell us the history of the island.She said that when she was a girl guide in 1946, she and the other girl's guides would normally camp on the island on Fridays after school for the weekend.The young girl's guides were taught the skills of preparing a camp fire and preparing a meal.
Mum said in order to get to the Island the group of children would be rowed over to the Island in a little boat, in what was known as a jetty.
She said that she remembered a large house that was on the Island where the girl’s guides would spend the weekend residing in, and that sometime later the Island then became a quarantine station for the sick crew and passengers when ships came to the island. Sometime later in 1956, she remembers that the government of Barbados started to build what is now the deep water harbor, and said that they used very large boulders to fill up the water.




In 1961, the deep water harbor was completed. When it officially opened mum said my oldest sister had the opportunity of seeing the opening of the deep water harbor. I am sure that was quite a treat!!
There is now a tourist attraction called The Pelican Village ("Pelican Crafts Centre") in the area, a port, as a tribute to the separate island that once existed there called Pelican Village. It opened in 1999 and is an attractive and spacious shopping village offering the very best of local handicrafts, and providing the opportunity to see Barbados' craftsmen at work. Take a tour with Ruthann Discovery Tours. http://www.viator.com/tours/Barbados/Pelican-Arts-and-Crafts-Tour/d30-29386P4


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4 comments :

Beautiful, Beautiful, Barbados

5:47 PM 2 Comments



I am from the beautiful island of Barbados. Growing up in Barbados, I never appreciated the wondrous, exciting history of Barbados that dates back 400 years; I guess I took it for granted. Living abroad for a while, then coming back to Barbados and seeing it from a different perspective, I was enthralled by the beauty and the amount of things that I missed growing up in Barbados.


However, as the saying goes, it is never too late, so, I took it on myself to discover the island again, and have made tremendous discoveries ever since. I discovered we have four of the oldest surviving churches in Barbados. The oldest surviving churches are St. James Parish, St. Michael Cathedral, St. John parish and St. Mary Anglican Church, one of which I attended as a child right up to my adult years. Four generations of my family went to the Saint Michael Cathedral, which dates back to the 16th century with its fabulous design still intact

The St. Michael Cathedral is made of coral stones with a beautiful tower and stunning stained glass windows. Inside the church is a marble baptismal font dating back to the 17th century. In addition, I could not believe that I was oblivious to the existence of a synagogue in Bridgetown; I was really surprised when it was revealed to me and I went on a tour of the synagogue.

 It has the distinction of being the oldest synagogue in the hemisphere. During the tour, I was fascinated with the Mikvah history and its riveting story of the past. The Mikvah was discovered in 2008 by some students from the University of the West Indies while on an archaeological dig. The churches and the synagogue are worth exploring in Barbados, take a tour with Ruthann Discovery Tours and you will not be disappointed.
http://www.viator.com/tours/Barbados/Ruthann-Discovery-Tours/d30-29386P2

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