Ruins on the Islands

Ambler Isle
V and S
Thu 27 Jan 2011 13:00
The crashed plane ruins from Carlos Leder era
Boat Skeleton
Exploring the islands is always fun and a good way to get some exercise.  The history of the Bahamas is etched into the land.  In many places we see old stone walls, rock foundations, ruins of small houses.  We love to think of the folks who lived here and tried to make a life.  Of course, the original Indian settlers did not leave much behind after Christopher Columbus brought Europeans to the islands.  Most settlements were wiped out as the Indians fell to the European diseases.  The Loyalists came during the Revolutionary War.  The were loyal to England in the dispute and the Crown actually moved many of the to the Bahamas.  What they thought they could do with such poor soil is still a mystery.  Most left, although there are several islands in Abaco and  Spanish Wells with descendants of those hearty few.  Pirates also made their homes here.  The years passed and with the Civil War, some plantation owners moved to the Bahamas rather than give up their slaves.  They, too, faced hardship trying to work a barren land. They returned to the U.S. after the war, leaving their slaves behind and granting them the land, to be held forever by their descentants  Generation land it was called, and some of it has been sold anyway to developers who found loopholes in the original grants.  Now the Bahamas are populated mostly by the descendants of those slaves.  The white Loyalist communities are often very inbred.  Celebrities and rich folk from the U.S., Canada, and Europe buy up prime parcels for beach homes.  These homes are protected by house sitter when the owners are away. This is to prevent squatters from moving in.  These part time residents must provide their own electricity and water.  Wind generators, solar panels and diesel generators run constantly.  Most houses have cisterns to collect rainwater, and also are equipped with desalinators.  Phone service is very poor here, and very expensive.  So resident islanders use the VHF radio to call their pals.  The radio waves crackle with their funny names, Yamacraw, Daylight Chaser, Dock Diva, Termite, and more.  Who knows how they came by them?