In 1929, the Government deepened Nassau Harbour and built modern Prince George Wharf, named after H.R.H. Prince George, who visited Nassau in 1928. The colonial government expanded Prince George Wharf in Nassau to accommodate the flow of alcohol during America’s prohibition. In the 1950s, with the popularity of cruise travel,…
View More Bahamas Philately: Prince George WharfCategory: Bahamas
Bahamas Philately: Sandy Cay
Sandy Cay, also known as the Honeymoon Island, is a three acre island, four miles from Paradise Island, and one mile from Rose Island, located in the Sea of Abaco. It is one of the most iconic islands in the Bahamas, Sandy Cay was featured in the trailer for Gilligan’s…
View More Bahamas Philately: Sandy CayBahamas Philately: Nassau Public Library
The Nassau Public Library was originally constructed as a Goal between 1798, and 1799 and had prisoners’ cells which occupied the first and second floors, and a gallery surrounding a central space on the third floor, from which a bell rang to summon House of Assembly members to meetings. Since…
View More Bahamas Philately: Nassau Public LibraryBahamas Philately: Christ Church Cathedral
In 1670, the Bahamas was granted to six of the Lord Proprietors of Carolina by King Charles II and a church was soon built on New Providence. This church, the first in the Bahamas, is now Christ Church. The first church was destroyed by the Spaniards in 1684 and a…
View More Bahamas Philately: Christ Church CathedralBahamas Philately: St Matthew’s Church
In 1799 the Legislative Council passed an Act to build a Church in the “East”. The St Matthew’s Church was built by Joseph Eve with the foundation laid in 1800. The seating capacity of the Church was four hundred and fifty and during the early years of the church, the…
View More Bahamas Philately: St Matthew’s ChurchBahamas Philately: Pineapples (Ananas comosus)
The pineapple (Ananas comosus) is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. Pineapples were grown in the Bahamas from the early 1700’s. It is believed that The Bahamas was the first country to produce pineapples on a commercial scale. Pineapples…
View More Bahamas Philately: Pineapples (Ananas comosus)Bahamas Philately: Animals of the Bahamas – Hawksbill Turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Indo-Pacific subspecies. The hawksbill’s appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. In…
View More Bahamas Philately: Animals of the Bahamas – Hawksbill TurtleBahamas Philately: Flowers of The Bahamas – Hibiscus
Hibiscus is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The name is derived from the Greek name ἰβίσκος (ibískos) which Pedanius Dioscorides gave to Althaea officinalis (c.40–90 AD). The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions…
View More Bahamas Philately: Flowers of The Bahamas – HibiscusBahamas Philately: Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)
Delonix regia is a species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, subfamily Caesalpinioideae native to Madagascar. In many tropical parts of the world it is grown as an ornamental and in English, one of the names is it is given is Royal Poinciana (or Flame Tree). During the…
View More Bahamas Philately: Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia)Bahamas Philately: Bahamian Sponge Boat
The Bahamian sponge industry appears to have been started by a Frenchman, Gustave Renouard, who was shipwrecked in the Bahamas in 1841 and who began dispatching sponges to Paris as soon as he had recovered from the ordeal. Two years later, the sun-scorched scattering of British islands exported 132 bales…
View More Bahamas Philately: Bahamian Sponge Boat