Astrolabe

This beloved “Grandfather” is restored to new life. Story & Photos By Séamus Day, Chairman, Turks & Caicos National Museum Director Patricia Saxton asked me whether I would be able to build a new wooden long case for the Robert Crawford “Grandfather Clock” mechanism generously donated to the Museum by Mr. Hugh Hutchings (featured in the Spring ...

A “Grandfather” of Provo remembers the island’s first vehicle. By Candianne Williams ~ Historical photos courtesy Bengt Soderqvist Today, there are approximately 25,000 vehicles zipping along the network of roads and highways on the island of Providenciales, including personal, rented, corporate and utility vehicles. This stands in stark contrast to November 22, 1966 when there was only ...

The ill-fated Coquette Expedition. By John de Bry, Center for Historical Archaeology They say histories are usually about wars and always written by the victorious. It is refreshing to be able to look at a well-known conflict through the eyes of a participant on the losing side. Following a (very) minor engagement on Grand Turk in 1783, ...

Remembering Sherlin Williams Story & Photos By Dr. Donald H. Keith The first time I met Sherlin Williams was in the Museum Science Building’s workshop. He was just putting the finishing touches on the 150 year-old clockwork mechanism that made the light turn in Grand Turk’s lighthouse. I was amazed because it was an intricate piece of ...

A look at the National Museum’s epic voyage through history. By Dr. Donald H. Keith, President, Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation It’s hard to say exactly when and where some journeys begin. More often than not we wake up one day and it dawns on us that we’re going somewhere. Maybe it isn’t even clear where, ...

Saving the Ghost Fleet of the Caicos Islands. By Dr. Donald H. Keith, President, Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation Unbeknownst to most residents of these islands, a fleet of ancient ships has sailed the Caicos for more than 200 years. A ghost fleet of sorts, almost invisible. Hundreds of people have looked right at them—and seen ...

By Captain Willard E. Kennedy, Master Mariner Captain Willard Kennedy came into the Museum one day and asked the staff if we wanted his sextant and navigational tools. What a wonderful gift, and through emails we have been privileged to learn about this “Salt Cay boy” and his journey through life. The Museum thanks Captain Kennedy ...

This “deltiologist” discusses the TCI’s earliest known picture postcards. By Jeffrey C. Dodge Editor’s Note: In this day of instantaneous digital communication where every cell phone is also a camera and a photo taken by a tourist on Grand Turk can be viewed by someone in China only seconds later, the traditional utility of the humble postcard ...

What are the mysterious underwater features in Corey Pond? By Glen Freimuth, Shaun Sullivan, Charlene Kozy, and B Naqqi Manco Archaeologists are always looking down at the ground for this is the location of their stock and trade, signs of past remains. One of us, Shaun Sullivan, was looking down upon Middle Caicos with the aid of ...

Solving the mystery of Grand Turk’s island cemetery. Story & Photos By Dr. Donald H. Keith, President, Turks & Caicos National Museum Foundation Beneath those rugged elms, that yew-tree’s shade, Where heaves the turf in many a mould’ring heap, Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. —Thomas Gray, 1751 Elegy Written in a Country ...

A glimpse at the postal history of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Story & Photos By Peter Marshall Many people the world over have never heard of the Turks & Caicos Islands. But among philatelists (a posh word for stamp collectors, myself included), the Islands are famous for the colourful, diverse postage stamps they issue. Until the salt-raking ...

Meet Edmond Neale Coverley. By Sherlin Williams ~ Illustrations Turks & Caicos National Museum Collection Edmond Neale Coverley was born on Grand Turk to Flavious Coverley, an Englishman, and Olivia Firth, a young lady of the wealthy Frith salt merchant clan. Neal, as he was affectionately called, and his wife Minimia Elodie Astwood, lived with their children ...

Spanish colonial coin found in Maravedi Cove. By Roberto G. Munoz-Pando On my recent visit to the storage area of the Turks & Caicos National Museum, many items caught my attention. Among them, one really comes to mind because it represents the area I have been studying and writing about for the past three years. It was ...

This whale shark encounter has to be seen to be believed! By Dr. Randel Davis ~ Photos By Jean-Francois Chabot Tuesday, July 22, 2008: It was a day that started like any other. After a hard morning on Providenciales’ Northwest Reef looking for cannons from the US Navy Brig Chippewa (which we found!), Capt. Jean-François Chabot ...

Swidden agriculture in the Turks & Caicos Islands. Story & Photos By B Naqqi Manco, TCI Naturalist Visitors to the Turks & Caicos Islands: Try finding a traditional crop patch here — I dare you. It won’t be an easy, straightforward search. In countries with mechanized, technology-driven agriculture, farms are easy to recognise, even if they’re ...