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About Me
- Pete
- New Jersey
- Since my first trip to Gettysburg as a young boy, I've been captivated by History. I get it from my mom. Although she passed away when I was just 13, she still had an influence on me. All our family vacations were stitched around some historical site. So, history geeks are in my blood. I'm a graphic designer by profession and a semi-amateur painter. I love to explore history through my paintbrush. I've also done living history to get a first hand feel for "what it was like". Looking at history through the eyes of the common man (or woman) and understanding the personal, human drama is really the spice that flavors the historical stew!
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Wednesday, July 29, 2009
History on Vacation
I painted this watercolor (Winslow Homer I'm not!) on the balcony of our condo in Grand Cayman last week. Debbie and I were there courtesy of our gracious hosts, Tad and Terry. Thanks guys for a wonderful time!
In the islands, you're supposed to be thinking about a couple of cold Red Stripes (or locally brewed Caybrew), snorkeling and sunny beaches. Believe me Mon, I did. But you also can't help but think about explorers, pirates and the like. You know, Pirates of the Caribbean and all that!
Well, it turns out that there really isn't a rich pirate history to the Cayman Islands. True, Blackbeard (Edward Teach) is rumored to have left a treasure chest there but name a place he isn't rumored to have buried some loot. Heck, even New Jersey makes that claim!
There definitely were some explorers, however. Columbus in 1503 and Sir Francis Drake some 80 years later. Great Britian annexed the islands after Oliver Cromwell took Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655. There's a strong Jamaican influence on the Cayman Islands as they were a dependency of Jamaica for 300 years. They formed their own democratic government in 1831 and in 1835, emancipated all of their slaves.
We stayed near historic Bodden Town on Grand Cayman. Bodden Town served as the first "capitol" of the Islands (George Town being the capitol now) before hurricanes filled it's harbor with silt. H.M. Royal Navy had this to say about the area in 1773:
"The Island was originally settled by one of Oliver Cromwell's soldiers named Bodden, who had been at the taking of Jamaica. Old Isaac Bodden, his grandson, a native of the Island, now upwards of 70 years of age, remembers when there were only five families; but at this time, there are 21 at the SouthSide, which we have called Bodden Town, 13 at the West End, commonly called the Hogsties, 3 at the East End and 2 at Spot's Bay; in all 39 families, consisting of at least 200 white people and above same number of Negroes and Mulattoes."
"The Island produces a great quantity of cotton, which is their principle article of export besides Turtle; but for their own consumption, and to supply the vessels that pass by, they raise Indian corn, yams, sweet potatoes. pompions, plantains, melons, limes, oranges and most kinds of the fruits and vegetables that are to be found in Jamaica. The Sugar Cane likewise grows very well. There are plenty of goats on the Islands, but neither sheep nor black cattle, and only two horses, which were lately brought there from Jamaica by accident."
We also think of banking in connection with the Cayman Islands. It's tax free status has lured many banks to register there and something like 500 Billion dollars are held there. Legend has it that in 1794 the locals heroically saved British sailors from the Wreck of the Ten Sails - i.e., ten British ships in a convoy that ran into a reef, one by one in succession in a less-than-stellar display of seamanship - and King George showed his thanks by proclaiming the island tax free! That would never happen in the States!
So, along with the colorful Bougainvilla, sparkling water and waving palms is an equally colorful past! Pass me a Caybrew, mon!
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