Nassau / Paradise Island Information

Venture into the historic heart of Nassau, and you'll discover this thriving commercial centre retains pretty much all of its colonial heritage and appeal. You can admire the Georgian architecture and quaint, pastel-coloured wooden shops and offices scattered along lively Bay Street; hire a horse-drawn surrey and take a leisurely tour of old Nassau while your driver regales you with the local folklore; visit the numerous ancient sites and forts and the hand-carved Queen's Staircase.

If you want to step back through the centuries, wander along to the Pompey Museum and take a good, long look at the display of artefacts, documents and drawings. You won't want to miss the contemporary Bahamian art galleries and the cultural Junkanoo museum, too.

History:

Nassau's stunning natural harbour lies on the 34 km (21-mile) long island of New Providence. Protected for a 4.8 km (3-mile) stretch by the tiny Paradise Island, this sheltered harbour has attracted settlers since long before the British colonists left Eleuthera and arrived in New Providence in the late 1600s.

Although some of the religious farmers from Eleuthera lived in Nassau, most of its population were pirates, privateers or wreckers, only too willing to lure ships aground on the reefs and plunder their precious cargoes. In an attempt to stop the plundering, the Spanish and French fleets attacked and destroyed Nassau periodically over the following years. However, the lawless citizens would always return and rebuild the port city.

In 1718, Great Britain declared The Islands of The Bahamas a Crown colony and named former privateer Woodes Rogers as its first Royal Governor. Rogers flushed out the pirates from Nassau, restored law and order and built Fort Nassau.

After accomplishing his mission, Rogers left the islands, but returned in 1729 at the request of the Bahamians. He opened the first House of Assembly in The Bahamas and presided over the colony until his death. The assembly adopted Rogers' official motto, 'Expulsis Piratis, Restituta Commercia' which translated means 'Pirates Expelled, Commerce Restored'.

During the Revolutionary War, British Loyalists fleeing America in the 1770s settled in Nassau. They added to the town's architecture, population and prosperity. During the American Civil War and Prohibition, Nassau grew and prospered as it was ideally situated for shipping blockaded goods to the United States.