By D. Gail Saunders
Part I: Early Development
Nassau began as a small town sometime between 1648 and 1666. Located on New Providence, originally called Sayle's Island, it was first colonized by Bermudians and English some of whom had originally settled on Eleuthera, the isle of Freedom. By 1670, there were over 300 settlers on New Providence, and no doubt they settled where Nassau, or Charlestown as it was called, is today.
Why did Nassau become the capital city of The Bahamas and not George Town, Exuma, for instance, which also has many of the attributes of the capital? Nassau had many geographical advantages, its sheltered location, its accessibility to shipping by way of the Providence Channel and its fine harbour. In fact, its early settlers were mainly men of the sea.
The city of Nassau grew from humble beginnings. In the 1660s, it comprised only a few dozens shacks. Later in 1695, Proprietary Governor Nicholas Trott laid out Charlestown anew and renamed it Nassau in honour of the Prince of Orange-Nassau, who became William III of England. In that year, the town consisted of 160 houses. Trott also built a fort which he named Nassau. The buildings at this time were mainly wooden with thatched roofs of palmetto leaves. The small building huddled around the large sheltered harbour that singled Nassau out as most suitable for the seat of Nassau.
During the early day the town had many ups and downs. From the late 17th century, privateers and pirates increasingly used Nassau as a base from which to plunder and destroy French and Spanish ships. Since the privateers were the only source of prosperity, the community and the Governor turned a blind on their activities. Many citizens were involved in piratical dealings. To add to its hardships, the town was attacked several times in the early 18th century. In 1703, it was sacked and plundered by a combined Spanish and French fleet. Being almost totally destroyed, most of the inhabitants fled. Those few who stayed in Nassau "lived shatteringly in little hutts (sic), ready upon any assault to secure themselves in the woods."
Nassau's development as a modern town began in earnest under the first Royal Governor Woodes Rogers (1718-1721; 1729-1732). Rogers meeting the town in a dilapidated state, immediately set to work to rebuild it so that Nassau "began to have the appearance of a civilised place." During his second term of office, Woodes Rogers called the first General Assembly, and among the 12 Acts passed in the first session, included one "to lay out the town of Nassau."
Further expansion of the town took place in the 1740s during the governorship of John Tinker (1738-1758) and during the 1760s under William Shirley's governorship (1758-1768). The latter governor initiated a new survey of the town and reclaimed much of the mosquito-breeding swamp land so that the town could expand eastward. Among the new but yet unpaved streets to be built was Shirley Street, honouring the name of the Governor who created it.
Notwithstanding those improvements, Nassau was still a modest town in 1783. Johann Schoepf, a German traveler who spent four months in The Bahamas on his way home from serving as a surgeon to the British forces during the Revolutionary War,
described Nassau as town hugging the 'hilly shores' with houses of wood, all light and simply built. He described the town as having "but one tolerably regular street, or line of houses, which runs next to the water." This main road (Bay Street) was unpaved, streets though were cut down to the island's native rock. In the town, the chief houses stood apart, "surrounded by trees, hedges and gardens." Because of the climate, attention was given "to roof, shade, space and air." In the majority of cases, there was simply a single planking covering the wooden house frame. "The best are boarded double," wrote Schoepf, "but even then the covering is light ... any of our light summer houses would serve as a comfortable dwelling at Providence in all seasons." Chimneys at Providence were even rarer than glass windows. The public buildings at that time comprised the "church, a gaol and Assembly house," and Vendue House known as the Bourse, then a single storied arcaded market building where everything was sold, including slaves and imported goods. Public notices and regulations were posted there. During the day, "buyers and sellers, ships captains and other persons, of affairs of none" came to transact business or to hear or retell the latest news or simply to gossip.
Schoepf, described the inhabitants of Nassau as "a few royal officials, divers, merchants, shipbuilders and carpenters, skippers, pilots, fishermen and what labourers are needed, with several families who live on the returns from their lands and work of their slaves."
The real planters lived on their estates in the nearby countryside. To the east of the town, along the waterside, were scattered houses occupied by sailors and fishermen and several miles (near the northern, seaside end of the present Fox Hill Village) was "a
little village, to which the name of New Guinea has been given, most of its inhabitants being free negroes and mulattoes.
(To be continued)
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF "THE CITY OF NASSAU"
© D. Gail Saunders
Part II
Loyalist Impact
Introduction
The advent of the Loyalists fleeing from the newly independent states of America in the 1780s greatly influenced the growth of the town. Within the first decade of the arrival of the refugees new streets were built, docks and wharves were improved, a new jail and workhouse constructed, and a roofed market-place built. Architecturally, the Loyalists had a great impact on the town. The architectural styles of the Southern States and New England towns were transported to Nassau.
Architectural Changes
Nassau was transformed by the Loyalists. Besides important architectural changes, streets were cleaned, repaired and new ones built. Docks and wharves were improved. New regulations, for example, one prohibiting thatched roofs in Nassau in order to protect home owners against fire, were passed. There was an improvement to cemeteries which were to be enclosed and a regulation passed that graves must be at least four feet deep.
Architecturally, the Loyalists had a tremendous impact on the town. The American colonists before the Revolutionary War had already established their own variations of Georgian architecture. Most of the material used in the early southern colonial towns was wood. Stone was rarely used. However, in Nassau, both were employed because they were readily available. In 1783, the houses in Nassau were mainly of wood and lightly built, but in the early 1800s Daniel McKinnen, a traveler,
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found that many houses were built of stone from local quarries, such as the one which was at the southern end of Elizabeth Avenue, the present site of the Queen's Staircase.
The Loyalists patterned their houses mainly on the Georgian style, but adapted them to meet the Bahamian climate and economic conditions. Most of the houses were similar in design, consisting basically of a simple rectangular plan, two to three storeys in height, usually with an attic. The ground floor was used as a basement to house storerooms and the servants' quarters. The main rooms were at first floor level. Kitchens were usually built away from the main house so as to avoid cooking smells and heat there. It was in fact a precaution against fire.
Another characteristic aspect of the architecture of Nassau was the use of quoins. Many Loyalist buildings also incorporated large rectangular blocks of local stone. Some homes also boasted delicately designed hard wood railings in a variety of patterns. Some houses had two-storeyed timber verandahs. High peaked roofs, dormer windows, brackets and lattice work, were also characteristic of this period. The shipbuilding industry, active in Nassau in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, was reflected in the use of peculiar features like wooden knees or brackets which still support the balconies of Balcony House in Market Street north.
Not only did the Loyalists influence private architecture in the town, its suburbs and on the Out Island, they also greatly influenced public construction. Lord Dunmore who, although haughty and disliked by the inhabitants of Nassau, especially the
Loyalists, left a lasting legacy on the architecture of the town. His mania for building resulted in the construction of Forts Charlotte and Fincastle, and batteries at Winton, Hog
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Island and Potter's Cay. He also built Dunmore House, popularly known in modern times as the Priory, on West Street (now demolished). For his private enjoyment he built two summer residences, the Hermitage on East Bay Street between 1787 and 1796, and then considered the far east and a house, now demolished, on Harbour Island, in Dunmore Town, which he laid out.
In 1783, the public buildings had comprised a church, a gaol and an assembly house. Within thirty years there were at least five substantial notable new buildings, including the Public Buildings, the jail, Government House and two churches, all with a decidedly Loyalist architectural influence.
Completed between 1812 and 1816, the Public Buildings were based on Governor Tryon's Palace in New Bern, the ancient capital of North Carolina. They are situated at the northern end of Parliament Street and faced on to Bay Street. At the time of their construction, Rawson Square did not exist and the buildings were separated from the harbour by Bay Street.
Nassau Public Library, built between 1798 and 1799 was said to have been inspired by the old Powder Magazine in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its octagonal shape is unusual and it served originally as a prison.
The building of the modern Government House seemed to have been inspired by Loyalists as well. Situated on top of the hill known as Mount Fitzwilliam, it was
completed in about 1806 and occupied shortly afterwards by Governor Cameron and his family.
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Churches
Two Nassau churches, one Anglican, the other Presbyterian, were also Loyalist inspired. St. Matthew's, built between 1800 and 1802 to accommodate Anglicans in the eastern district of Nassau, was designed and built by Loyalist Joseph Eve, and is the oldest extant church building in Nassau. In 1823 it was considered to be at the eastern extremity of the town. It has recently been restored and its tower and spire are today important landmarks in the city of Nassau.
Another Loyalist, Michael Malcolm was instrumental in getting the Kirk built. Its construction resulted from a plea to the St. Andrew's Society, founded in 1798 in Nassau. The cornerstone of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church was laid in August 1810. Over the years it has undergone much renovation, but its basic Loyalist construction is still in evidence.
Transformation of the Town
The advent of the Loyalists, who passed regulations including those for the prevention of fires, animals wandering at large and the enclosure of cemeteries, changed the appearance of the town. The shabby little port was transformed 'into a town as well built as any in the West Indies'.
(See Gail Saunders, Bahamian Loyalists and Their Slaves, Macmillan Caribbean, London, 1983).
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF "THE CITY OF NASSAU"
© D. Gail Saunders
Part III
Modern Developments
By the 1840s, Nassau, still described as 'a sleepy town' of 8,000 inhabitants, was
scattered on the southern side of Bay Street and on the northern slopes of the ridge now East Hill and West Hill streets. The town did not extend west of West Street or east of St. Matthew's Church. Between the 1840s and 1860s, some fine Georgian colonial-style homes, such as Greycliff, East Hill and Jacaranda were built. These stately buildings have been well preserved. The decades of the 1840s and 1850s witnessed a slow but steady growth of Nassau.
The pace of development was increased during the 1860s with the outbreak of the American Civil War. The beginning of the conflict coincided with the granting in 1861 of Letters Patent which raised the Parish of Christ Church to the status of a Cathedral and the town of Nassau to the City of Nassau. The tourist industry was becoming important, being encouraged but the 1859 contract made between the Bahamas Government and Mr. Samuel Cunard for regular steamship connect between Nassau and New York. Additionally, the Royal Victoria Hotel was built to accommodate winter visitors. It soon became the headquarters of the colourful blockade runners. The brief prosperity brought by the war stimulated some improvements in Nassau. For the first time, Bay Street was widened and provided with kerbstones and lights. The north side of Bay Street was reclaimed and warehouses and shops built, including John S. George on the corner of East and Bay Streets. The old prison on East Street was built towards the end of the blockade period.
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Tragedy was again to strike Nassau, however. To add to the drastic decline in the economy in October 1866, a devastating hurricane passed over the city destroying over 600 houses and damaging many more. Among the buildings demolished was the newly constructed Trinity Church which was rebuilt three years later.
Nassau recovered slowly and by 1880 could be described as 'a nice-looking' town with 'nice wide' and clean streets 'shaded with cork and almond trees.' The town benefited from the development of local industries especially the sponge, pineapple and sisal industries during the late nineteenth century. The economy also benefited from improvements in telecommunications and the tourist industry in the early twentieth century.
The steady growth of the town was dramatically affected by Prohibition (1919-1933) in the United States. Nassau's reputation as a trans-shipment centre for liquor which bought by Americans and smuggled into the thirsty United States, caused a sudden upswing in the Bahamian economy. A flurry of building began. Great improvements were made in public utilities, including electricity and water supplies, and visitor accommodation and amenities were expanded. To cope with the increase in shipping, the harbour was dredged to a depth of 25 feet and Prince George Wharf was built. The Hotel Colonial, which was destroyed by fire in March 1922, was reconstructed and opened in the February of next year. Slightly later, Fort Montagu Hotel was built at Waterloo.
Along with the growth of tourism came the land boom. During the 1920s, American investors began buying estates and cays, building homes and laying out modest developments on Hog Island and New Providence. Large estates and subdivisions such
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as Westward Villas and the Grove Estate were laid out. Land, changing hands at an unprecedented rate, increased enormously in value.
Air transportation linking Nassau with Miami began in 1929, the year of the Wall Street crash. Nassau suffered from the Depression that followed and also from the repeal of the 21st Amendment which ended Prohibition. By the late 1930s, however, the economic climate had improved and Nassau was becoming recognized as a winter resort.
With the collapse of the sponging industry in 1938, and the outbreak of World War II during the next year, Nassau experienced dire economic problems. The city was saved by its strategic position in the Atlantic hemisphere. During the war it was chosen as a site of an Operational Training Unit under the joint auspices of the British and United States Governments. The 'Project', that is the operation to expand Oakes Field and build Windsor Field created thousands of war time jobs and also was the background against which a spontaneous labour riot occurred.
Post-war years witnessed a phenomenal growth in the tourist and banking industries which was reflected in the building of new hotels, and the expansion of Nassau to eastern, western and southern suburbs. By the beginning of the decade of the 1950s, Nassau was attracting not only the wealthy, titled and famous, but those in middle income brackets as well. Downtown Nassau could in 1951 be called 'picturesque.' This was not the case for the Over-the-Hill district behind the city. In contrast to the architecturally attractive colonial town, which was dominated by the white elite, Over-the-hill, where a large proportion of the population (mainly black) lived, was always much poor and had more humble buildings. It settlers lacked the necessary capital to develop it properly.
During the decades of the 1960s and 1970s, the growth of mass tourism and Nassau as a banking centre, stimulated changes in the city. The 1960s saw the beginning of the construction of large office blocks, the further development movement of city dwellers into the suburbs. By 1981 the city's boundaries had extended to include Mackey Street to the east, and Nassau Street to the west. Nassau which was once a 'quiet sleepy hollow sort of place' had become a rapidly expanding city, hectic, bustling and sometimes noisy. It has become a place of business whereas in the early days it was also residential. By the 1980 it contained vastly contrasting architectural styles both old and new. Somehow they seem to blend!
Captions:
1. The Vendue House was built about 1769 and first functioned as a Market where everything was sold, including slaves. (From a 19th century engraving).
2.VENDUE HOUSE IN MODERN DAYS - It has been restored and now houses the Pompey Museum of Slavery and Emancipation.
3. One of the oldest plans of the Town Of Nassau about 1739. (Courtesy of the Department of Archives).
