The History of Harbour Island, Bahamas
: A Story of Adventure and Freedom
Not a lot has been written about the history of
, but the books that have been made about the subject all tell the same story. The story is that nearly 400 years ago, a group of Englishmen sought a new home for themselves, where they would not be persecuted for having different religious beliefs. This group later became known in history books as the Eleutheran Adventurers.
Searching for Freedom in the Bahamas
The history of Harbour Island, Bahamas began in 1640, when a group of clergymen sailed from England to the Bahamas after breaking off from the Anglican Church. In the Bahamas they met other men who desired freedom to pursue their own religious beliefs. These people decided to build their own settlement in the islands.
This group started calling themselves the Eleutheran Adventurers. Their leader was Captain William Sayle, a former governor of Bermuda. Captain Sayle returned to England in 1644 to obtain a charter for the colony.
The Eleutheran Adventurers Meet Hardship and Prevail
When Captain Sayle returned to the Bahamas with the charter in 1646, the Eleutheran Adventurers set sail for Eleuthera. A highlight in the history of Harbour Island, Bahamas is that the Eleutheran Adventurers endured tremendous hardships on their new colony in Eleuthera. They managed to prevail by establishing trade with the Virginian colonies of the United States.
