The History behind the statue of Christopher Columbus

Many Bahamians question why the Christopher Columbus statue exists and what is the importance behind it being at Government house, and rightly so considering Columbus  didn’t discover The Bahamas  and also made no positive contribution to what this country is today.

The history of the statue is tied with Sir James Carmichael Smyth, slaves in The Bahamas and another statue the Queen Victoria in parliament square.

Sir James Carmichael Smyth was appointed Governor of The Bahamas in 1829. Smyth was a known sympathizer with the cause of slaves and a keen abolitionist, because of this he found himself to be the enemy of many influential whites. 

Smyth also worked to abolish corporal punishment for female slaves, Smyth tried without success to persuade the House of the Assembly to legislate against it.

in 1830 Smyth became aware of cruelty towards female slaves among a group of 77 runaways from the Lord Rolle estate in Exuma.The slaves, who had stolen a boat and fled to Nassau, were seized in Nassau Harbour and tried as runaways. ‬

‪The magistrates who signed the warrant for the punishment of the female slaves were suspended by Smyth. Smyth's actions caused an uproar

Smyth was described as a pre emancipation hero for attacking the atrocities of slavery and providing leniency for runaway slaves. He also dismissed the police magistrate and severalmunicipal judges for defiance of these orders. 

Carmichael Smyth frequently worshipped with the black congregation on Sundays, the ruins of this church are located at the junction of Carmichael and Gladstone road and are incorporated into the structure of St. Ambrose Anglican Church. 

To show gratitude the black people collected a great amount of funds which they gave to Carmichael Smyth to have a monument made. It is my assumption that the black Bahamians assumed that he would have a monument sculpted of himself but instead  he had a statue of Christopher Columbus sculpted. 

The statue was originally meant to be in parliament square but the rich whites were disgusted with the thought of a statue paid for by black people would be at the House of Parliament entrance. So instead the wealthy whites erected a statue of Queen Victoria where it still remains. 

As a result Sir James Carmichael Smyth moved his gift to pecks slope near Government house

Information retrieved from “The African diaspora of The Bahamas” by Keith L. Tinker

Bush Medicine

Match me if you can 

Scientific name- Acalypha godesffiana 

Medicinal uses-crush leaves and place on body parts affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Leaves warmed over fire and placed on back or chest can induce sweating and break fever 

Guinep 

Scientific name- Melicocco bijuga 

Medicinal uses- fruit is eaten for abnormal blood pressure, also taken to stimulate appetite.

Five Fingers 

Scientific name-Tabebuia bahamensis 

Medicinal uses- leaf decoction consumed for dental pains and backache. Sex stimulant and aphrodisiac also used as anesthetic and tranquilizer 

Lignum Vitae 

Scientific name-Guaiacum officinale 

Medicinal uses- flowers ingested as a laxative, effective antidote for accidental poisoning,White juice from bark used with water as a bath for body pains 

Cerasee 

Scientific name- Momordica charantia 

Medicinal uses- effective treatment for diabetes ,consumed in large dosages to induce abortion ,consume 3 times a day for 9 successive mornings to relieve asthma and other respiratory illness when boiled with a dash of dark rum.  

Bay Geranium 

Scientific name- Ambrosia hispida 

Medicinal uses- boiled leaves builds appetite, combats worms in children, used for congested lungs , colds, indigestion, weakness and externally for skin irritations. 

Gumelemi (gumbo limbo)

Scientific name-Bursera simaruba 

Medicinal uses-bark and leaves worn in shoe for rheumatism and gout, crushed leaves applied to insect stings and poison ivy, bark consumed with milk and sugar for increased physical strength. 

Life leaf 

Scientific name- Bryophyllum pinnatum 

Medicinal uses- tea used for shortness of breath , respiratory infection and kidney problems. Also applied to skin for various infections.

Shepherds needle 

Scientific name- Biden’s pilosa 

Medicinal uses-leaves boiled into a tea to cure  a variety of intestinal parasites and infections especially intestinal worms. Juice rubbed on body for dermatitis, wounds and sores 

Prickly pear 

Scientific name-Opuntia stricta

Medicinal uses- crushed plant used as a shampoo to fight dandruff, chopped leaves boiled in water in combination with sisal plant and jaundice vine and consumed as tea to get rid of yellow or black jaundice.

Love vine

Scientific name-Cassytha filiformis 

Medicinal uses-when the whole plant is crushed and boiled in water it can be used as a sex stimulant and aphrodisiac. Also used as a strong pain reliever. 

The Great Bahamian Gold Heist

The Great Bahamian gold heist of 1926 was one of the biggest robberies in the modern history of The Bahamas “ Robbery of a treasury” was the headline that was made in an Australian newspaper . The story even made front page in the New York Times . On March 17th of 1926 thieves broke into the office of the commissioners of currency in downtown Nassau blew open the safe and got away with about a ton of gold and silver. The stolen gold and silver was used to guarantee the value of Bahamian money. In 1926 anyone that was holding Bahamian notes could exchange them on demand for gold and silver. With the gold and silver missing this left the colony’s money technically worthless. Another interesting fact was that the robbery took place in Rawson Square, many wondered why the police in the central police station (which was 100 yards away) didn’t hear the explosion .Bahamians were starting to think that it was an inside job. in 1927 Spencer Williams a taxi driver , Orlando Ingraham and Ernest Hilliard Bowen who were both clerks in the audit office were sentenced to prison by the Supreme Court. They were from well known Bahamian families, one of their fathers was a member of The House of Assembly. Sir Etienne Dupuch wrote “ no one ever found out what became of the missing gold and silver. It was thought that someone else must have stolen it because the three men certainly didn’t have it when they came out of prison .“

Eleuthera Pineapples

Before Hawaii dominated the pineapple industry with pineapple canning companies such as Dole ,The Bahamas exported millions of pineapples and was the chief crop of The Bahamas. According to a Pacific history: the history of pineapple canning in Hawaii “ The Hawaiian canned pineapple had not displaced the Bahamian product from the American market . The main source of canned pineapple for the continental United States at the turn of the the twentieth century was The Bahamas. Many people preferred the taste of the Bahamian product”. in 1845 Eleuthera exported 400,000 pineapples to England and to The U.S.A by 1885 over a million pineapples were exported and was still the main crop of The Bahamas. J.S. Johnson was the pioneer in this field and set up a canning factory in Nassau with its branch plants in Eleuthera . Unfortunately the workers at the J. S Johnson factory in Governor's Harbour were exploited. All wages at the factory were paid in the form of tokens that could only be exchanged for goods initially at all local stores then eventually only at the company store during the canning season.Today Pineapples are still an important part of Bahamian culture. The pineapple is used in tarts,cakes, jams,beverages and in tropical conch salad. The pineapple is celebrated in the pineapple festival in June which has the 40-mile pineapple cycling classic, a triathlon, plaiting of the pineapple pole and Little Miss Pineapple Pageant.

Conch, the versatile Gastropod

Conch,the versatile Gastropod, is an enduring symbol of Bahamian cultural identity. There are conch festivals,conch cracking competitions,conch homecomings and a conch at the top of The Bahamian coat of arms.The delicious sea snail also brings in 3.3 million dollars a year through exports. As Bahamians we are well aware of the economical and social impact of conch but what about the ecological impact? Conch is a major player in the marine food web. Conch eggs and larvae are a part of the zooplankton in the region that feed planktivores. Species like sharks, turtles, and spotted eagle rays feed on conch. Other marine species like sea stars, triggerfish, lobster, octopus and hermit crabs also feed on conch. Hermit crabs and other opportunists use the shell of dead conchs as a habitat. Queen conchs are vulnerable to overfishing because they are relatively slow to grow and late to mature and as a result conch densities are decreasing in commercially fished areas to levels that will not sustain the population. Luckily this decline in conch has been noticed and the Conchservation national campaign aims to protect the queen conch through research and policy change. We as Bahamians must do our part as well by abiding the law which states that harvesting and possession of conch without a well-formed lip is prohibited and the bag limit at any time is 10 per person.

Facts about conch -The conch pearl is a very rare pearl (one conch pearl is found in every 10,000 shells to one in every 20,000.)

- Queen conch can live up to 30 years

- During the first year of life conchs live under the sand during the day and come out to feed on the surface of the sand at night

. - Conch is an aphrodisiac https://youtu.be/IYCsTSjc4N8

The Lost Landmarks of Bimini

The lost landmarks of Bimini The ruins of 2 hotels can be found in North Bimini, The Bimini Bay Rod and Gun club which played a major role in America’s prohibition era and The compleat Angler which ended in a tragedy. In 1920 just a year after Albert Burns Chalk began scheduled airline flights from Bimini to Miami Thomas Peters built a three-story hotel and casino called the Bimini Bay Rod and Gun Club, the hotel was the largest in The Bahamas and the casino was one of the first in the country. The Bimini Bay and Rod club was the first place to provide accommodations for visitors and employed 50 people during high seasons .The hotel was used to store liquor which would be smuggled into the U.S. In 1926 a hurricane destroyed the hotel, eventually the hotel was sold to Gene Tunney a famous boxer, and Sir Harold Christie. The Compleat angler was built in 1935 by Helen and Henry Duncomb but was damaged by a hurricane in 1936. The hotel was sold to the Brown family in 1973 after Henry Duncomb died. The Angler was an unofficial museum, with one room devoted to Ernest Hemingway's exploits and most of its pine walls decorated with decades' worth of fading photos and news clips of assorted anglers and trophy fish. On January 13th in 2006 the hotel was destroyed by fire and the owner Julian Brown died after leading a guest to safety.

Sir Durward Knowles

Did you know Sir Durward Knowles is the fourth longest competing athlete at Olympic Games by total Olympic appearances with 8 Olympic appearances. Sir Durward Knowles has earned the The nickname sea wolf for his sailing prowess. He was introduced to sailing by his father and went on to become the first Bahamian to win a gold medal at the olympics. Sir Durward’s first international competition in sailing was in 1946 when he finished third in the world championships in Cuba. With the late Sloan Farmington he won the bronze in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. He then teamed with the late Cecil Cooke to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. He has also attended the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta to participate in the presentation of medals to winners in the sailing competition. Sir Durward Knowles was also involved in charitable and civic organizations such as The Bahamas Association for the physically disabled. In 1996 Sir Durward knowles was knighted by the Queen and was awarded The Bahamas Order of Merit.Sir Durward Knowles lived to see 100 years and died a Bahamian legend on February 24th 2018

List of Bahamian women firsts

ListStephanie Unwala- first woman attorney to own/ operate a law firm

Vernice Walkine- first woman to become director general of tourism

Rev Angela Palacious - first woman to become Deacon and priest of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas

Cynthia “mother” Pratt- first woman to become a deputy Prime Minister

Anatol Rodgers- first woman to be the Principal of Government high school

Missouri Sherman- Peter - First woman to become a consul general

Allerdyce Strachan- first woman to become the superintendent of the Royal Bahamas Police force.

Nettica Symonette- first woman to become a hotel proprietor (Casuarinas hotel)

Ruby Ann Darling- the first woman to register to vote

Tonique Williams- Darling - first Bahamian to win an individual gold medal in track and field at the 2004 Olympic Games

Dame Dr Doris Johnson - first woman to run for the legislature, first woman to be appointed to the senate, the first woman to be made a minister of Government, the first woman to be the leader of the senate and first woman to be elected as president of the senate

The Inagua Riot

In August 1937 the Duvalier brothers ,George and Willis started a riot on the island of Inagua which ended in The brothers being hanged, a young boy beaten badly and 15 Residents of Inagua jailed in Cuba. The Duvalier brothers were suspected of committing arson, when a young boy told the authorities that the brothers were the culprits they abused the young boy badly. After word had spread that the brothers had abused the young boy Dr. Dudley Arthur Fields, an administrator on the island of Great Inagua and representative of the governor-general had ordered the arrest of the brothers. One of the brothers refused to be arrested. He fired several shots at Dr. Fields wounding him and killing an employee of the Erickson company, a salt company operating in Inagua, as well as wounding the son of the owner of the salt works company. The brothers then set fire to several buildings and houses. As the situation in Inagua grew worse 15 residents on the island of Great Inagua decided to flee in a boat ,all they managed to take with them was a gun, some flares and ammunitions in order to defend themselves. After drifting for 5 days they made it to Cuba where the group was arrested for having materials of war and insurrection. The fifteen people who were fleeing certain death in Inagua, now found themselves jailed, and on trial as suspected revolutionaries in Cuba. The Duvalier brothers who had Haitian and Bahamian parents escaped to Haiti with stolen money taken during the course of the Inagua robberies committed during the riot, By October 8, 1937, the Duvalier Brothers had been arrested in Port au Prince, and just a month after that they were taken back to Nassau to be executed.

Images retrieved from Bahamianology.com

The Prohibition Era

Prohibition and its impact on The Bahamas. From 1919 to 1933 Prohibition allowed The Bahamian economy to flourish and alleviated the economic slump that Bay Street merchants experienced. A London times report in 1920 stated that Prohibition “ transformed the Bahamas government's financial position as if by magic from a deficit to a comparatively huge surplus, provided labor for large numbers of unemployed Bahamians and put more money into circulation in this little British colony than has been the case for many years.” This allowed many business to form on Bay Street such as Kelly's hardware, Mike’s shoe store, Williams shoe store and John bull limited which was established by Asa. H. Pritchard. The Bahamas was a bootleg mecca from which the fortunes of many future prominent Bahamian families were made. Many famous Americans had ties to The Bahamas during this economic boom such as Al Capone. In 1929 Capone even told the Chicago tribune that he bought a 500 acre island in The Bahamas and travels there 3 times a week on his hydro-aeroplane. He also stated that he was planning a health resort on his island. When government authorities got news of his plans he was no longer allowed entry in The Bahamas.

Red Bays, Andros

A Bahamian cultural and heritage gold mine. At the North-Western side of Andros and well off the beaten trail, you will find the magical settlement of Red Bays. Oral accounts say that it was named after the the reddish sand found at the natural bay. As the only settlement on the western side of Andros, Red Bays is an extremely unique place with a proud history. The story begins in Florida, where African slaves who had escaped from their slave plantations joined forces with the Seminole Indians. They lived together peacefully and shared their own cultures and traditions with each other. As such, these group of people became known as the “Black Seminoles.” Around the 1820’s, as the United States continued to expand and control more territory, these Black Seminoles feared that if they were recaptured that they would go back to being slaves. They began to leave Florida in secret, and found a home in Red Bays, Andros. These Black Seminoles lived in complete isolation, hidden from the world and continuing many of the traditions that they had adhered to for generations. In Andros, there were stories of the “Wild Indians of the West,” on that island who lived quietly in their own corner. It wasn’t until 1930’s when an anthropologist conducting research in The Bahamas came across a descendant of the Black Seminoles that the settlement began gaining recognition. Today, many of the Bahamians living in Red Bays are direct descendants of the original settlers. Situated at a 45 minute drive from the nearest town through thick pine forest and wetlands, Red Bays is now adopting to modern life, however it still holds to many native American and African cultures. These cultures include craft work such as woodcarving and straw weaving. One of the most notable wood carvers in the world is a resident of Red Bays, Henry Wallace, who has had his works displayed in the Smithsonian. Thank you to Stuart Hanna , a big supporter of the Everything Bahamian page who helped with this article

Acklins and Crooked Island facts

Facts about Acklins and Crooked Island One of the largest Lucayan Indian settlements in The Bahamas sits along Pompey Bay Beach, just south of Spring Point, Acklins. Ten ancient Lucayan sites have been unearthed by National Geographic Society Archeologists on Samana Cay alone public electricity was not available on Acklins Island until 1998 Plana Cays, also southwest of Spring Point is a protected reserve for endangered great iguanas and the very rare hutias , the only native mammal of The Bahamas. Landrail Point was the location of The Bahamas' first General Post Office. A hotel now sits around the remnants of the building, with the old stones and mortar of the original walls still visible. Turtle sound is a nine mile long waterway that is referred to as an inland river. It has differing depths, beginning at French Wells Channel and ending behind the northern settlements. Mangroves, marine and bird life can be found there. There are two lighthouses from the 19th century. One at the northern tip of Crooked Island. The Bird Rock Lighthouse which still welcomes pilots and sailors to the Pittstown Point Landings resort. The Castle Island Lighthouse at Acklins Island southern tip, formerly served as a beacon for pirates who used to retreat there after attacking ships. In an effort to protect shipping at the north entrance of the Crooked Island Passage, the British established a fort on the site of 4.4 acre Marine Farm in the 18th century. Ruins on the former plantation compound include a main house and kitchen, as well as a military compound with historic drawings, cannons [with the king's seal] and other artifacts.The site became a national park in 2002 and is under the protection of the Bahamas National Trust.

Bird Rock Lighthouse

Bahamian Cartoons

during the 70’s Bahamian cartoons held great significance because the airwaves with the type of open line talk shows that are now familiar staples of every day life in the Bahamas were not available for public to express different opinions Until 1994 there was only one national radio station which was controlled by the government and it subsequently represented a single view point therefore political cartoons such as these consequently played a very important role the King’s jester( the only person allowed to poke holes using humor and wit in the rulers facade without fear of reprisal) . Cartoons drawn by Eddie Minnis

The Sir Harry Oakes Murder

The murder of Sir Harry Oakes made news headlines in the middle of the second world war in 1943 this was big news not only in the colony but all over the world. There are many theories around the death of Sir Harry Oakes but this thread will focus on strange coincidences around the murder On July 7, 1943 Sir Harry Oakes hosted a dinner party and after the dinner party his close friend Harold Christie told the watchmen and the servants that they can go home. Sir Harry Oakes had 4 stabs to the head, his body was set on fire and the body was covered in feathers from a gutted pillow. Harold Christie was sleeping two doors down from sir Harry Oakes When Harold Christie “discovered” his friend’s body the next day he said that he tried to revive him (a man that was clearly dead,burnt and who's bowels had left his body) and give him water. H.C. First called his brother and the duke of Windsor instead of local authorities. The duke then called 2 Miami detectives in (which were close friends of his) and said “he wished to confirm the details of a suicide” please keep in mind S.H.O. Was hit in the head with a sharp object and blood patterns show Oakes was lying face down when he suffered the blows to his skull. Alfred De Marigny who was the son in law of S.H.O. was accused of the murder and went on trial with A.F. Adderley as the counsel for the crown

Colonel R.A. Erskine Lindop, the police commissioner at the time refused to charge De Marigny with murder so the duke transferred him to Trinidad and kept him The throughout the trial which made him unable to testify. Eight years later Erskine Lindop told journalist Etienne Dupuch that one of the suspects in the case broke down in the cross examination and said that this suspect continue to move about in high society in Nassau De marigny was later acquitted after the detectives that were hired by the Duke of Windsor were suspected of fabricating evidence against him it was also well known that the Duke of Windsor did not like de marigny. De Marigny later wrote a book and said “in my mind there is no doubt whatsoever that Harold Christie should have been tried and hung for the murder of Sir harry Oakes. While hired hands acted for him it was Christie who ordered the The fatal act committed that turbulent night in Nassau Fast forward seven years later in 1950 on April 8th Betty Renner came to Nassau to investigate the murder which took. On April 19th she was found dead at the bottom of a well in Nassau

Killings that captured the nation’s attention

Dannotage estates, the picturesque suburban community in eastern New Providence was created by Daniel Nottage from Eleuthera. Dannotage estates was home to the well known and well off in The Bahamas In 1980 the Hanna family moved in a split level home on a huge lot. The family consisted of 4 children, 3 of which attended queens college. The father Percival hanna worked at the trade development bank and the mother worked at Bahamasair The Hannas could be described as the perfect family on the surface but there was a lot that went on behind closed doors. The mother, Vernice was under psychiatric care for alcohol abuse and the son Kevin was under psychiatric care since the age of 8, the parents were advised to take Kevin to a mental hospital but the parents refused. Another mother in the neighborhood described Kevin as troubled because he would stay for hours at her house as if he didn't want to go home On August 5th 1984 Kevin left his family at home watching the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he walked to montague beach then came back home a little after midnight and killed his entire family. His sisters ages 8 and 15, his brother age 16 and both parents. In a police confession Kevin says he shot his father and cut off his hands and legs, he also confessed to using a wheelbarrow to load his mother, brother and sister in the car He drove what was left of his family in a chevy Malibu classic to Gladstone road and set the car on fire. He rode his bike home after. The next morning Kevin called the police to the home where they found bits and pieces of flesh, brain and bone and a blood trail that led to the back patio. Kevin’s legal team was made up of Phillip brave Davis and Thomas Evans. Kevin has no emotion during trial and was described as a person with very serious mental disturbances In court Dr Neville said that 19 year old Kevin suffered from grandiose and paranoid delusions. At the end of the 6 day the jury’s verdict was read The jury found Kevin not guilty of murdering his father, mother, brother and two sisters but they found him unanimously guilty of manslaughter by “reason of diminished responsibility” Information retrieved from the 2008 newspaper article below and “westward:the walk of a Bahamian doctor”

Sir Kendal G. L. Isaacs

Sir Kendal George Lamon Isaacs was born on July 23rd 1925 and was the13th child of his parents Adolphus and Julia Isaacs. In 1942 Kendal G.L. Isaacs graduated from The Government High School in 1942 as head boy, the. At 19 he joined The Bahamas Battalion, North Caribbean region as a cadet officer and was trained In Kingston, Jamaica. He was discharged at the rank of lieutenant at the end of World War II In 1946 he entered queens college, Cambridge graduating in 1949 as a Bachelor of Arts and bachelor of law. He was called to the English bar on june 21st 1950 and then The Bahamas bar on July 4th In 1963 he became the attorney general of The Bahamas and in the same year he attended the constitutional conference in London as the Governor's advisor. And then in 1964 he became a Supreme Court judge. From 1966 to 1971 Kendal G.L Isaacs did everything from serving as Vice President of the senate, becoming the queens counsel,president of The Bahamas bar association, president of The Bahamas mental health association,director of the bank of Montreal , director of The Bahamas supermarkets ltd. In 1970 he was made the commander of the order of the British empire and in 1972 he was elected member of parliament for the fort Montagu constituency under the free national movement Sir Kendal Isaacs was well known for his sporting interests in track and field, soccer,rugby,basketball,cricket golf and his favorite tennis. Sir Kendal Isaacs also has a gymnasium named after him.

Freddie Munnings Sr.

Freddie Munnings SR. After World War II The Bahamas began to promote itself as a tourist destination and this coincided with the golden age of night club entertainment. Local spots like the spider web, Zanzibar and silver slipper were must stops on local tourist night club tours Freddie munnings Sr. born on October 20th, 1921 in Pure Gold Andros would emerge as the king of entertainment in The Bahamas during this time. Freddie Munnings was an accomplished musician and composer. He refined his musical skills at The New England conservatory of music, Boston, Massachusetts in the early 1950s In 1955 Freddie Munnings bought the “Cat and fiddle” club and with this purchase he took entertainment to a higher level by expanding into the promotional business As a promoter he brought stars like Nat King Cole, Roy Hamilton, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr and Harry Belafonte to The Bahamas. He also used the club to launch upcoming talent both local and foreign His recordings Sloop John B, Little Nassau and Bahamas Lullaby have solidified him as the best in his generation. Munnings was a founding member of The Bahamas Musicians and entertainers union and received the most excellent order of the British Empire in 1977 and was a civil rights activist especially in the struggle to end racial discrimination

Cascarilla

The Bahamian cascarilla is a Croton eluteria, in the family of Euphorbiaceae Samana Cay, Acklins, and Crooked Island have been the traditional source of cascarilla bark oil, dating back to the 18th Century. The bark is used for the manufacture of incense, sachets, potpourris, liquor (Campari) and tobacco flavorings. it also used as a therapeutic aromatic bitter tonic for the treatment of various stomach ailments. The oil is used for commercial perfume and flavor marketplace. Today, the highly desired and sought after cascarilla bark essential oil is used for flavoring aperitifs, liquors, beverages, confections and fine perfumery. It is very valuable in its purest form. With 500 grams Being sold for £147.00 On September 25th 2018 in continuation of fulfilling its mandate to expand The Bahamian economy the Bahamas development bank traveled to Acklins to advance its program to industrialize cascarilla. With 55 people in attendance Key program objectives were to increase export, foster the sustainability of cascarilla through organized propagation of the plant, facilitate 2 commercially viable cascarilla oil processing facilities and support expansion of family island economies. Currently The Bahamas exports cascarilla to The United Kingdom, Italy, France, the U.S. and Germany

Norman’s Cay, Exuma

”Norman’s Cay was a playground. I have a vivid picture of being picked up in a Land Rover with the top down and naked women driving to welcome me from the airplane. And there we partied. And it was a Sodom and Gomorrah ‪drugs sex and no police you made the rules and it was fun” This was Norman’s Cay at the height of drug trafficking, a Wild Wild West atmosphere with cessnas, turbo commanders and pipers Navajo carrying their precious cargo, cocaine. For 4 years Norman’s Cay served as drug smuggling hub and hideaway for Medellin cartel kingpin Carlos Lehder. In 1978 lehder contracted a German security firm to provide security and upgraded the 3,000 ft runway, by August of the same year the first experiment took place. This experiment was a success with 314 kilos of cocaine being flown in a Mitsubishi twin engine turboprop, this load was sold for 15 million in Florida. ‪By 1979 the island’s staff consisted of 50 with 3 full time Colombian pilots and 5 American pilots, according to Ed Ward a Floridian marijuana smuggler the atmosphere is no longer fun as he becomes addicted to cocaine and so does everyone else. It’s tense and everyone’s paranoid ‬ To get an idea of how much the Medellin Cartel made daily: in 1979 a kilo of 12 percent purity cocaine sold for an average of $800,000. The Norman’s Cay operation delivered 300 kilos of cocaine every day In September of 1979 “operation raccoon” involved 90 Bahamian police raiding Norman’s Cay arresting 33 people, days later everyone was released in Nassau on $2,000 bail, in December Lehder is told to leave The Bahamas but he continues business By 1980 Ledher had harassed all other residents on the island until they fled, in July of that year a yacht belonging to a retired couple was found drifting with a dead body and blood stains. In 1980 Ed Ward is out on a stop list in The Bahamas then in 1981 Lehder and Ed Ward are indicted on 39 counts of smuggling, conspiracy and income tax evasion by a federal grand jury but business on the Cay continues. In 1981 Lehder is placed on a stop list and he heads to Colombia with his personal belongings but business still continues and the Colombian staff is left to protect his interests It is alleged that some of the political leaders at the time spent occasional weekends partying at Norman’s Cay with Lehder. The CIA was said to be holding the photographic evidence to prove this. ‪According to “Kings of cocaine:inside the Medellin Cartel” on July 10th ‘82 pilots loaded a plane with leaflets some with $100 bills demanding “Reagan’s Drug enforcement agency go home” they dropped the leaflets into crowds in Nassau and Bimini celebrating independence.‬ In NBC news reports that some political leaders had taken bribes from drug dealers. Bahamian authorities freeze Lehder’s bank accounts and he leaves The Bahamas forever Lehder is still serving his life imprisonment plus 135 years

Haunted House on Collins Ave.

On Mother's Day in 1979 Sarah Jane Campbell returned home from church alone and was bombarded with rocks that fell through the roof of her home the rocks broke her China closet and mirrors but left no holes in the ceiling The story of a house at ninth terrace, centerville possessed by an evil spirit quickly spread through Nassau and caused a frenzy The mystery grew when 4 days later a group of neighbors went to the house to pray away the evil spirits saw ashtrays rise in the air then fall on the living room floor. The story was told over local news and by nightfall police barricaded two blocks to keep the crowd from the scene. The barricades caused more attention and by 10pm police turned their water hoses to the crowd to clear the streets. Boys began to throw rocks at the house which led to police rushing in with stout clubs and German Shepherds. (13 people were charged with throwing missiles obstruction of police and property damage) Mrs. Campbell stayed at a home 2 houses from her own during the ordeal. When interviewed while watching the mob on a porch she said “ I don't know what's happening, I don't know why anybody would do that to me because I don't do this to nobody. It's an evil spirit that must be in the house but he never did this to me before” Dr Francis Ngombe a visiting bush doctor, mystic and seer from Africa visited the house, stepped in for 20 minutes, left and said “ I found nothing in the home that could have harmed anyone. There could have been something but if anyone disbelieves me I will sleep in the house overnight” Although Dr. Ngombe said there was nothing unusual about the house, neighbors claimed they saw trees “dancing” in the yard on a still night and other paranormal activities occurring. There's not much information in archives or books about the “obeah house” but Mrs. Campbell continued to live in the house after the situation had died down.