Astrolabe
- Mission Accomplished! March 12, 2013 A tribute to the Range Rats of Grand Turk By Bill Hocking “I salute—from my space helmet—the Range Rats, the unsung heroes of the space race to the future.” Buzz Aldrin, Apollo XI, 1969 On a clear St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1958 at 7:15 AM, the first Vanguard missile was successfully launched into a highly stable orbit. ... Read more about this post
- The Place We Called Home January 19, 2013 The on-going development of the Caicos Heritage House. By Dr. Donald H. Keith, Chairman, TCI National Museum The Turks & Caicos National Museum’s presence on Providenciales is growing! Construction of the “Caicos Heritage House” is nearing completion. Made possible by a grant from an anonymous donor, the House is the anchor exhibit for the “Caicos Heritage House ... Read more about this post
- Gretchen’s Christmas Letter January 19, 2013 Memories of an expatriate’s life on Grand Turk in 1957. By Gretchen Steffke St. John ~ Photos and Captions By Art St. John Gretchen St. John came to Grand Turk with her husband Art in 1957. Art St. John served as the Commanding Officer of “Waldo II,” the temporary US Coast Guard LORAN station set up in ... Read more about this post
- The Time-Traveling Beachcomber October 9, 2012 Stroll Grand Turk’s beaches with this native historian. By Sherlin Williams Beachcombing is a common practice on islands like these. Some folks look for shells, driftwood, sea-glass and the like. Others enjoy the simple tranquillity and intimacy with nature. But for a time-traveling beachcomber like me, who grew up on Grand Turk, strolling the beach offers glimpses ... Read more about this post
- Nothing Short of Miraculous October 9, 2012 The saga of the North Creek paddle. By Dr. Donald H. Keith, Chairman, TCI National Museum Discovery Saturday August 17, 1996, 4:30 PM: It is the end of another long day for Bob Gascoine, captain of the sailboat, Aquanaut, moored in “the lagoon,” a deepwater basin at the north end of Grand Turk’s North Creek. It is ... Read more about this post
- Carved Histories II June 26, 2012 A duho biography. By Joanna Ostapkowicz, Fiona Brock, Alex Wiedenhoeft and Mike Richards. In December 2007, Fiona Brock and I visited the Turks & Caicos National Museum (TCNM) to study the Lucayan duho—or ceremonial seat—in its collections. This visit had long been a goal of mine: I first studied the duho (at a distance, in the UK) ... Read more about this post
- Ancient Discoveries in the Caicos Caves March 2, 2012 Sometimes it takes a new pair of eyes . . . nearly 100 years later! By Mark Parrish, BSc Ocean Sciences I have been exploring caves and sinkholes in the Turks & Caicos Islands for almost 15 years. It was not something I was particularly interested in before moving to these islands, but I’ve always had a ... Read more about this post
- Twenty Years of Achievement January 14, 2012 This timeline highlights the TCI National Museum’s accomplishments. By Dr. Donald H. Keith, Chairman, TCI National Museum Let’s take a look at what the Museum’s Finders, Binders, and Minders have been up to for the last 20 years and what they have accomplished. Here is a sampling of a few of their more noteworthy achievements. 1980–1989 Molasses ... Read more about this post
- Birding in Paradise October 19, 2011 Grand Turk’s Bird Walk and Bird Drive Trails are the first in the Caribbean. By Pat Saxton, Director of Business Development, TCI National Museum I love plants. I can go out into my garden anytime and see my plants. Plants don’t have an optimum time to view them, unless it is a midnight blooming cactus, which only ... Read more about this post
- The Oldest Shipwreck: A Cautionary Tale October 19, 2011 This rollicking story reveals the Museum’s rather inauspicious start. Story & Illustrations By Dr. Donald H. Keith, Chairman, TCI National Museum “Divers find oldest shipwreck in the Caribbean . . . and treasure that could be worth MILLIONS” screamed the headline in the Daily Mail on April 29, 2011. Nicknamed the “Precioso site” by the American treasure ... Read more about this post
- Gone, But Not (Quite) Forgotten June 6, 2011 Recording the remains of the St. Thomas’s church graveyard in Grand Turk. Story & Photos By Duncan and Sally Hutt He changed from the sick and sad of earth. To a land that knows not care: But his heart still clings to his native hearth And the friends he loved while here Epitaph of John Samuel Lightbourn (died 1851) Surveying a graveyard ... Read more about this post
- Deciphering “The Cannon Code” June 6, 2011 Could this be the oldest dated object in the Turks & Caicos? Story & Figures By Dr. Donald H. Keith, Chairman, TCI National Museum In January 1986, I received a letter from Mr. Michael Boruch, who was president of Caicos Fisheries Inc. at Cockburn Harbour, South Caicos, from 1956 until 1971. It read: “There was a small signaling ... Read more about this post
- Written in Stone March 22, 2011 Saving rock inscriptions on Sapodilla Hill, Providenciales By Dr. Donald H. Keith, Chairman, TCI National Museum It’s 2 PM on Friday, December 10, and I’m sweating bullets. Not just because it’s hot but because with only 18 hours to go before we’re scheduled to remove 40 fragile boulders covered with ancient inscriptions from the top of Sapodilla ... Read more about this post
- Archimedes, Archaeology & Artifacts March 22, 2011 “Old Heads” come to the rescue to solve the mystery of the screw. Story & Photo By Sherlin Williams I’ve been doing projects at the National Museum on Grand Turk for the last 15 years or so. I rebuilt the mechanism that used to turn the light in Grand Turk’s lighthouse. Then I worked on making a ... Read more about this post
- What If? January 12, 2011 What if Providenciales had a National Museum? By Dr. Donald H. Keith, Chairman, TCI National Museum This year, 2010, marks the 30th anniversary of the archaeological investigation of the Molasses Reef Wreck, the event that led to the establishment of the Turks & Caicos National Museum. As the archaeologist who directed the excavation, I received a government ... Read more about this post
What's Inside The Latest Edition?
On the Cover
Master Photographers James Roy and Christine Morden of Paradise Photography (MyParadisePhoto.com) made the journey to East Caicos to capture this rare drone view of the remote island. They used their artistic creativity to enhance the color after the day turned overcast.
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