How the Abacos' Settlements Got Their Names
A What's On Lifestyle Article

How The Other Abaco Settlements Got Their Names
Charlene AM Fernander

The names of the islands and settlements of the Bahamas have fascinated me since my childhood - there are the "straightforward" names like New Providence (obviously, there is another Providence somewhere); Paradise Island, Long Island and Crooked Island speak for themselves and names like Cat Island, Ragged Island and Harbour Island do not need much explanation. Eleuthera comes from the Greek word for freedom, Spanish Wells was literally the site for the ships of the Spanish sea adventurers, San Salvador is Spanish for Holy Saviour. Names like Mayaguana and Inagua are corrupted derivations of Spanish and Arawak words.

The name of this Commonwealth of Islands, Bahamas comes from the Spanish, "baja mar" or "mares" which translates as low or shallow seas. The names of the islands derive from the languages of all the inhabitants of these islands from the time of the Arawak/Lucayans and Carib Indians, the British and American-born Loyalists, the English, French and Spanish buccaneers and governors, the Seminole Indian and the African peoples to the more contemporary melting-pot resident like the Germans, Greek, Italians and Portuguese.

Corruptions of the original names sometimes make it difficult to even guess at the nationality but make for flavourful and interesting conversation nonetheless. I resorted to my growing list of local legends to educate me on the baptizing of these townships and villages . . . people like Jack Hardy, Vashti Albury, Joe Norris and Benjamin Pinder. Abaco's name is thought to have come from the word, "habacoa." The names of the settlements on Greater Abaco and on the Cays are mostly of the variety which do need explanation. Most of the northern settlements were discussed in an article which appeared in the 1998 All-Abaco Regatta magazine (hence the title of this article), but I hope to cover the "others" in this publication.

Louise Malone, Rudy and Vernon's niece told me that the fact that Elbow Cay is shaped like a bent arm made the choice obvious, but the main settlement of Hope Town came from the good ship, "Hope" which transported the first settlers, a group of enterprising Loyalists, including Wyannie Malone, safely to those shores in the late 1700's. Lubber's Quarters, a neighbouring cay refers to the term, lubber used to describe an inexperienced and clumsy sailor and of course, quarters is a British name for a district or area. Pirates once stowed their women and children on the cay and went off to plunder and burn. We have no doubt to whom they were referring when they said "lubber." Another neighbouring cay, Tiloo was once inhabited by an Abaconian called Tom Malone and was the site of seagrape harvesting. However, I was not able to uncover the origin. Man-O-War Cay, the boatbuilding capital of the Bahamas was named for the type of warships with the same name; Matt Lowe Cay, for an Abaconian from Marsh Harbour but no longer belongs to Mr. Lowe (rumour has it a certain popular movie star now owns it.) Great Guana Cay's name comes from the name of the giant lizard, the iguana, which still frequents parts of the Bahamas. Scotland Cay, previously called Cotenary Cay according to John McAleer, an American Genealogist residing in Hope Town and according to brothers, Philip and Sylvan Bethel of Great Guana Cay evolved to . . . Cotland Cay and so on.

Back to "mainland" Abaco - Marsh Harbour was originally called Marsh's Harbour after a veritable gentleman who helped to settle the township. I spoke with Silbert Mills, himself a Dundastown son and William "Bill" Swain (born at old Bluff Point, Abaco) and learned that Dundas and Murphy towns are named for the Royal Governors, Dundas and Murphy, who engineered the resettlement of early Abaconians from the northern villages of Old Place, Blackwood and Bluff Point after the devastation brought about by the infamous hurricane of 1932.

Spring City (yes, there really is a spring of water there) is one of the several former logging towns in Central Abaco, which came into being some 40 years ago. The American company of Owens/Illinois began cutting down the Abaco pine and other trees for shipping out of these islands to the United States. They constructed logging camps like Spring City and Wilson City and Casuarina Point (Casuarina are sturdy trees and are still plentiful in the area) for their employees to live. These houses still exist in Casuarina and Spring City. Snake Cay was the site of the huge molasses vats (and snakes) and has a deep harbour which is used even today for the larger vessels. The small village itself however, although inhabited, is isolated. Cherokee Sound, another mainland settlement once accessible only by boat, is thought to have been named for the Cherokee Indians by a Captain Thomas Brown, the British Commissioner to the Cherokee Nation in the United States. The captain led a band of Loyalist settlers from the Carolinas to the Sound and is believed to have brought some of the Cherokee Indians with them as well. In the same vicinity is Little Harbour, which is comparatively "little", but boasts the home and studio of Pete Johnston from the renowned family of sculptors.

Further south are Bahama Palm Shores - a new development and Crossing Rocks, where you cannot miss the huge off-shore rocks which gave the village its name. I once stood on the beautiful beach out there until dark began descending and was able to watch the way the giant rocks, like giant teeth, took on an eerie light as the moon came out, More than twenty miles south of Crossing Rocks, out in the reserved Abaco Forest area is the road to Hole-in-the-Wall. This site of an automated lighthouse and cottages is on a rocky, desolate beach whose waters are so treacherous that local sailors and fisherman avoid sailing in the area. Sandy Point, the southernmost mainland settlement is aptly named - at the end of all major streets in this tiny village is a white sandy beach.

You can take a boat or small plane to Moore's Island from here. Moore's Island, Edward Stewart tells me was named for an English landowner who lived there for some years, but it is also commonly referred to as Hard Bargain (the settlement) as water, being hard to come by, was often bargained for (hard!) Disney recently purchased Gorda (Spanish for fat) Cay and renamed it Castaway Cay . . . which name speaks for itself. North of Marsh Harbour is Leisure Lee, another new development of fine homes built between canals and the beach (how's that for leisure, I ask you.) Great Cistern, an area of sea front homes and breathtaking vistas refers to the cistern or well in the area. Bahama Coral Island follows, then the real estate jewel, Treasure Cay . Treasure Cay is an actual cay between Greater Abaco and Green Turtle Cay which was joined to the larger island by a road. Financiers developed it into a marina resort complete with hotels, restaurants, condominiums and a golf course.

The fabulous beach with its turquoise waters is enough to make anyone neglect the other less-natural amenities of the resort. Captain Leonard Thompson and his brother, Roscoe, I understand used to dive for treasure off that beach many years ago and actually found some pieces - hence the name. Walker's and Grand Cays in North Abaco are also self explanatory, having been named respectively for the owner who developed the first into a resort and for the size of the second (cays are usually very small in comparison to islands.)

This excursion into the Abaconian past through the medium of its unusual names was certainly an enlightening one and having the assistance of the friendly residents to help me on my way made the trip even more so. Further information is available for those who prefer to take its history away with them, at the Marsh Harbour Public Library or at any of the many bookstores and souvenir shops in the Abacos.