Abaco's first settlement, Carleton Point, was settled in 1783 by 600 Loyalist refugees fleeing the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Eventually, around 2,000 Loyalists in all from New York, the Carolinas and Florida colonized Abaco in the late 1700's.
The early settlements resembled New England fishing villages, and still do, with clapboard houses and steeply pitched roofs, and tiny gardens with picket fences. Here the homes are surrounded by swaying palm and Casuarina trees, and painted with bright pastels of pinks and blues, colors of the sea.
The sea has always played a big part in Abaco's history, which is steep in boat building and fishing, all of which continues today. On Man O War Cay, you can watch craftsmen building boats by hand. At the Sail Shop, you can watch as sails are hand sewn, as well as handbags and other gifts made of sail cloth, truly linking the past to the present. The 120' Hopetown lighthouse stands on Elbow Cay, one of the last mechanical lighthouses operating today.
The historical photography which traces Abaco's past depicts a rich heritage, and while showing how Abaco was years ago, it also shows us in many respects how little has changed. Many of the same houses still line the harbours, connected by concrete roads. Many of the same names, descendants of original settlers like Sands, Bethel, Pinder, Albury, Sawyer and Lowe, still inhabit the cays.
Much of Abaco's history is on display at the Wyannie Malone Historical Museum in Hopetown, which opened in 1977, including many historical photos, some featured here. More can be found at the Albert Lowe Museum on Green Turtle Cay, and in the adjacent Memorial Sculpture Gardens, in which busts of some 30 Bahamians are displayed, representing different Bahamian islands.
When visiting Abaco be sure to take the time to visit one of the many museums, and step into Abaco's past, it will surely be a highlight of any trip.
