As you approach Harbour Island you'll see a quaint little village whose houses reach down to the shore. This is Dunmore Town, one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas and the only town on the island. Over 300 years old, it was once the Bahamian capital.


The First English Settlers In the mid-1600s, a group of English Puritans arrived at nearby Eleuthera in their quest for religious freedom. They unfortunately met with food shortages, a lack of proper supplies and internal strife that split the group. Their leader, Capt. William Sayles, set sail for the American colonies, obtaining supplies from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and then returning to the struggling outpost. To better guard against marauding Spanish troops in the area, another settlement was established on the more easily defended Harbour Island.

Loyalists from America In the late 1700s, American colonists still loyal to the British flag left the newly independent nation. These Loyalists arrived on the islands, bringing their Colonial building skills, as well as their agricultural and shipbuilding skills-all of which became major influences in Eleuthera and on Harbour Island.

Building Ships and Making Rum By the 1800s, Dunmore Town became a ship building center. From the 18th Century until World War II, ships built on Harbour Island plied the seas of the world. Brilanders built everything from dinghies to three-masted schooners. In 1922, they built the largest ship ever completed in the Bahamas-the four-masted "Marie J. Thompson."

Also in the 1800s, Dunmore Town become a noted sugar refinement center. This gave Brilanders an important second industry: When alcohol was outlawed in the United States, Dunmore Town went into full production, refining sugar and producing rum. Needless to say, it was a very popular place at the time.

Harbour Island Today By the 19th century, Dunmore Town was the Bahamas' second city, exceeded only by Nassau in population and wealth. Today, Harbour Island is a sleepy community of 2,000 people. Fishing and farming occupy some of their time while others are employed in the tourism industry. No doubt Harbour Island is a great travel destination as reviewed by Conde Nast.