Turks and Caicos National Museum

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Turks & Caicos National Museum
Turks & Caicos National Museum
Turks & Caicos National Museum.jpg
Turks and Caicos National Museum
EstablishedIn 1980s, opened in 1991
Location Cockburn Town, Grand Turk Island
TypeHistorical
Website Turks & Caicos National Museum.

The Turks and Caicos National Museum is the national museum of the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is located in Guinep House on Front Street to the north of Cockburn Town on Grand Turk Island, which is also the capital of the archipelago. Established in the 1980s and opened in 1991, the museum is publicly funded as a nonprofit trust. [1] It exhibits pre-historic Lucayan culture and records the history of the islands of the colonial era and the slave trade, all related to the sea. [2] An arboretum is adjacent to the museum. [3]

Contents

History

The museum is housed in one of the oldest stone structures in the island, a building called the Guinep house. The house, built prior to 1885, was named after the large guinep tree in the front yard. It was built in local limestone by a former shipwright. [4] [5] The structural material of the building also came from local shipwrecks, including a ship's mast, which is one of the building's main supports. The building which was earlier a lodge for some of the divers, was donated to the museum in 1990. [5]

Displays

Ground floor

Located at the museum is the Molasses Reef Wreck, which is dated to 1505 and is considered to be the oldest shipwreck located in the Americas. It was an early Spanish ship which foundered on the rim of Caicos Island. [6] Remnants of the ship wreck that on display are the hull and rigging, cannon, cross bows, and personal belongings of the crew. Characterized as a “time capsule” it provides insight into the lifestyle of the early explorers. [4]

A separate room showcases maritime displays. This includes the original lens of the Grand Turk Lighthouse, dated to 1852. [7] There is a 3 dimensional exhibit of a coral reef. Another interesting exhibit, probably the only one of its kind, is the display of the bottles with messages (40 years' worth of messages to wash upon the shores of Grand Turk [2] ) that floated to the beaches here from all over the world, and which were collected and exhibited. [6]

Second floor

Upstairs exhibits include the islands' history of the early settlers of the island: the Taíno people, African, North American, Bermudan, French and Latin American. [6] There are displays on Lucayan artefacts, sisal and salt industries, Caicos postage stamps, history of the slave trade, royal events, and pottery. Visits to the island by John Glenn (the first American to orbit the earth making the landfall on this island. [6] ), Scott Carpenter and Queen Elizabeth are commemorated here. [2] [8] Another important display is of the salt trade, which was the world's largest at one time, located on the island of Salt Cay. Bermudans were the first settlers on the cay in 1645, with salt production commencing in 1673 and lasting till the 1960s. Now inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the site was developed with a maze of walls and canal system, presented in the form of an exhibit in the museum. [4]

Features

The museum contains conservation labs and an exhibition workshop. There is also a curatorial facility and both a lecture room and an area which doubles as an office and the museum's library. [1] The oral history is a continuing information system. Exhibits are all interactive with video and audio facilitates. An arboretum is attached to museum facility. [2] It is functional and self-guide booklets are available to guide treks marked with trail markers, which are unique as the telephone poles which were damaged during hurricane Ike have been used to fix markers. There is a gift shop which sells Turks and Caicos Islands' centric artifacts. Some of the local products of interest are sea-glass jewelry made out of glass found in the beaches, straw hats and baskets from Middle Caicos, salts and bath salts from Salt Cay. [9] A walking tour of the Lucayan Cave is offered to explore artifacts made of wood.

The museum has launched an archaeological exploration program called the "Travadore project" which is in association with marine archaeologists. Under this project, the programme preserves the islands' shipwreck sites and prevents any treasure hunters robbing the treasures under the auspices of seeking license to dive and hunt for treasures on the islands. This project's importance is that the present settlers on the island are stated to have blood links to the people, particularly of African origin, who perished in the shipwrecks. Some of the historical finds recovered under this project are exhibits in the museum. [1] The exhibits of the Trouvadore Shipwreck project (the Molasses Reef Wreck) is under further exploration. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turks and Caicos Islands</span> British overseas territory in the Caribbean

The Turks and Caicos Islands are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and northern West Indies. They are known primarily for tourism and as an offshore financial centre. The resident population in July 2021 was put at 57,196, making it the third largest of the British overseas territories by population.

The Lucayan people were the original residents of the Bahamas before the European conquest of the Americas. They were a branch of the Tainos who inhabited most of the Caribbean islands at the time. The Lucayans were the first indigenous Americans encountered by Christopher Columbus. Shortly after contact, the Spanish kidnapped and enslaved Lucayans, with the genocide culminating in complete eradication of Lucayan people from the Bahamas by 1520.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Turks and Caicos Islands</span> Chronicle of the Turks and Caicos Islands

Before European colonization, the Turks and Caicos Islands were inhabited by Taino and Lucayan peoples. The first recorded European sighting of the islands now known as the Turks and Caicos occurred in 1512. In the subsequent centuries, the islands were claimed by several European powers with the British Empire eventually gaining control. For many years the islands were governed indirectly through Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Jamaica. When the Bahamas gained independence in 1973, the islands received their own governor, and have remained a separate autonomous British Overseas Territory since. In August 2009, the United Kingdom suspended the Turks and Caicos Islands' self-government following allegations of ministerial corruption. Home rule was restored in the islands after the November 2012 elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockburn Town</span> Capital of Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom

Cockburn Town is the capital of the Turks and Caicos Islands, spreading across most of Grand Turk Island. It was founded in 1681 by salt collectors. It is home to the Turks & Caicos National Museum which is believed to be over 180 years old. "Her Majesty's Prison", also now a museum, was built in the 1830s, and remained in operation until 1994. Boasting a warm climate all year round, the island is a popular tourist destination, with activities such as snorkeling, reef cruises, bars, and sandy beaches.

Grand Turk Island Island in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Grand Turk Island is an island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is the largest island in the Turks Islands with 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi). Grand Turk contains the territory's capital, Cockburn Town, and the JAGS McCartney International Airport. The island is the administrative, historic, cultural and financial center of the territory and has the second-largest population of the islands at approximately 4,831 people in 2012.

Abaco Islands Group of islands in the Bahamas

The Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas. The main islands are Great Abaco and Little Abaco. There are several smaller barrier cays, of which the northernmost are Walker's Cay and its sister island Grand Cay. To the south, the next inhabited islands are Spanish Cay and Green Turtle Cay, with its settlement of New Plymouth, Great Guana Cay, private Scotland Cay, Man-O-War Cay, and Elbow Cay, with its settlement of Hope Town. Southernmost are Tilloo Cay and Lubbers Quarters. Another of note off Abaco's western shore is Gorda Cay, now a Disney-owned island and a cruise ship stop renamed Castaway Cay. Also in the vicinity is Moore's Island. On the Big Island of Abaco is Marsh Harbour, the Abacos' commercial hub and the Bahamas' third largest city, plus the resort area of Treasure Cay. Both have airports. A few mainland settlements of significance are Coopers Town and Fox Town in the north and Cherokee and Sandy Point in the south. Administratively, the Abaco Islands constitute seven of the 31 Local Government Districts of the Bahamas: Grand Cay, North Abaco, Green Turtle Cay, Central Abaco, South Abaco, Moore's Island, and Hope Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inagua</span> District in Great Inagua, Bahamas

Inagua is the southernmost district of the Bahamas, comprising the islands of Great Inagua and Little Inagua. The headquarters for the district council are in Matthew Town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayaguana</span> Island and district in The Bahamas

Mayaguana is the easternmost island and district of The Bahamas. Its population was 277 in the 2010 census. It has an area of about 280 km2 (110 sq mi).

Rum Cay Place in Bahamas

Rum Cay is an island and district of the Bahamas. It measures 30 square miles (78 km2) in area, it is located at Lat.: N23 42' 30" - Long.: W 74 50' 00". It has many rolling hills that rise to about 120 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucayan Archipelago</span> Archipelago in the Northwestern West Indies

The Lucayan Archipelago, also known as the Bahama Archipelago, is an island group comprising the Commonwealth of The Bahamas and the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The archipelago is in the western North Atlantic Ocean, north of Cuba and the other Antilles, and east and southeast of Florida.

South Caicos

South Caicos is the seventh-largest island in the Turks and Caicos archipelago, with a land area of 21.2 square kilometres. South Caicos is known for excellent fishing, both deep-sea and bone fishing, and scuba diving. South Caicos was formerly a salt exporter, the island still hosts a network of salt pans as a reminder of the industry. Today, the island's main income is derived from small-scale commercial fishing.

Middle Caicos Caribbean island in the Turks and Caicos Islands

Middle Caicos is the largest island in the Turks and Caicos Islands. To the west, it is separated from North Caicos by Juniper Hole, and to the east, from East Caicos by Lorimer Creek, both narrow passages that can accommodate only small boats. The island is known for its extensive system of caves and its significant Lucayan Indian archaeological sites. The island is connected to North Caicos via a causeway. Middle Caicos was previously called Grand Caicos, although this name is not used today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salt Cay, Turks Islands</span>

Salt Cay is the second largest of the Turks Islands, one of the two island groups forming of the British territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. Its area is 6.74 square kilometres. The size of the district, which also includes some unpopulated islands like Cotton Cay nearby, is 9.1 square kilometres. The population is 108, all in the district capital Balfour Town, established in 1673, on the west coast.

Trouvadore was a Spanish slave ship that was shipwrecked in 1841 near East Caicos in the course of a run transporting Africans to be illegally sold to the sugarcane plantations in Cuba. As the United Kingdom had a treaty with Spain prohibiting the international slave trade and had abolished slavery in its colonies in 1833, it freed the 192 slaves who survived the wreck. Individuals and families, a total of 168 Africans, were placed with salt proprietors for apprenticeships in the Turks and Caicos Islands; the remaining 24 Africans were settled in Nassau.

Ambergris Cay

Big Ambergris Cay, also known as Ambergris Cay Private Island, a private residential island offering luxury resort services, located within the Turks and Caicos Islands. Not to be confused with Ambergris Caye in Belize, Big Ambergris Cay is situated to the southeast of the main chain of the Caicos islands. Adjacent to Big Ambergris Cay is Little Ambergris Cay, which is an uninhabited natural reserve. Little Ambergris Cay is a unique and significant habitat for a wide range of birds and marine life. Big Ambergris Cay island is approximately four miles long, one mile wide, and 1,100 acres (4.5 km2) in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of Turks and Caicos Islands–related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Index of the Bahamas–related articles</span>

The following is an alphabetical list of topics related to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas.

The Molasses Reef Shipwreck is the site of a ship which wrecked in the Turks and Caicos Islands early in the 16th century. It is the oldest wreck of a European ship in the Americas to have been scientifically excavated.

Molasses Reef may refer to:

Grand Turk Lighthouse Lighthouse on Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos Islands

Grand Turk Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos Islands. The 60-foot-tall (18 m) structure, overlooking North Creek, was completed by British architect Alexander Gordon in 1852 to alert sailors of the shallow reef. Brighter kerosene lamps and a more powerful Fresnel lens were added by the Chance brothers in 1943 and remained in use until 1972 when the lighthouse was electrified. Today, the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's house are a historic site under the protection of the National Trust.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Leshikar-Denton, Margaret E; Luna Erreguerena, Pilar (15 October 2008). Underwater and Maritime Archaeology in Latin America and the Caribbean. Left Coast Press. pp. 219–. ISBN   978-1-59874-262-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Turks & Caicos National Museum". Official website of the TC Museum. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 Rellie, Annalisa; Hayne, Tricia (2008). Turks and Caicos. Bradt Travel Guides. pp. 62–. ISBN   978-1-84162-268-2.
  4. 1 2 3 Stanford, Emma; Hanna, Nick (2012). National Geographic Traveler: Caribbean, Third Edition. National Geographic Society. pp. 404–. ISBN   978-1-4262-0952-9.
  5. 1 2 "Turks & Caicos National Museum Guinep House". Official website of the TC Museum. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Fodor's (28 December 2010). Fodor's Turks & Caicos Islands. Fodor's Travel Publications. pp. 32–. ISBN   978-0-307-92805-4.
  7. ↑ Frommer's (29 May 2012). AARP Caribbean. John Wiley & Sons. p. 701. ISBN   978-1-118-26665-6.
  8. ↑ The Rough Guide to the Caribbean . Rough Guides. 3 November 2008. pp.  141–. ISBN   978-1-4053-8447-6.
  9. ↑ Lipsitz Flippin, Alexis (1 June 2012). Frommer's Portable Turks and Caicos. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 96–. ISBN   978-1-118-33378-5.

Coordinates: 21°28′18″N71°8′51″W / 21.47167°N 71.14750°W / 21.47167; -71.14750

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