Eleuthera refers both to a single island and to its associated group of smaller islands. It lies 80 km (50 miles) east of Nassau and forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. Its eastern side faces the Atlantic Ocean, and its western side faces the Great Bahama Bank. The topography of the island varies from wide rolling pink sand beaches to large outcrops of ancient coral reefs.
In 1647, Captain William Sayle and the Eleutheria Adventurers (a group of Puritans), left Bermuda to seek relief from persecution by the Church of England. The group became ship-wrecked on the reefs of the northern end of the Arawak island of Cigatoo near the area now known as Preachers Cave. Cigatoo was reneamed as Eleuthera. “Eleuthera” derives from the feminine form of the Greek adjective meaning “free”.
The island was stated to have been agriculturally prosperous in the period from 1950 to 1980. This included a large crop of pineapples for export. When the Bahamas became independent from Britain in 1973, new ownership laws changed the nature of the island economy to tourism.
Locations
- Cotton Bay
- Current Settlement
- Deep Creek
- Governor’s Harbour
- Harbour Island
- Hatchet Bay
- Powell Point
- Rock Sound
- Savannah Sound
- Spanish Wells
- Tarpum Bay
- Wemyss Bight
- Winding Bay
Commerce & Industry
Hotels, Clubs & Accommodation
Stamp Issues
1980 Definitive Series – 5c Eleuthera Adventurers (Articles and Orders, 1647)
Postcards
1966 – Letter Service (P-34400 Series)
1967 – Letter Service (37800 Series)
1967 – John D Ringle (67000 Series)
