The Bluff, Bahamas: Difference between revisions

'''The Bluff''' isvery often refers to a settlement on [[North Eleuthera]], [[Bahamas]]. But there are three Bahamian communities having 'Bluff' in their name.

The otherAnother settlement called "The Bluff" (or simply "Bluff") is on the west coast of North Eleuthera Island.

In 1783, after he had served with the Pennsylvania Loyalists and the Carolina Rangers, James Kelly (1754-1808), cited as entering the Bahamas via East Florida and accompanied by Hugh Kelly was awarded 500 acres in the vicinity of Bluff, Eleuthera. James Kelly married first Susan Turner then Elizabeth Kemp and had a plantation at Bluff. A plantation house may have been built but the location of its remains is unknown.

History says the settlement was established by emancipated slaves somewhere around 1807/8. InBy 1866,1849 Louisit Distonexported Powlespineapples (1842-1911),and orcitrus Lfruit.D.Powles,<ref>{{cite wasbook appointed|last1=Craton Magistrate|first1=Michael of|last2=Saunders the|first2=Gail Bahama|title=A Islands. OneHistory of histhe firstBahamian actsPeople: was to tourFrom the islandEnding group,of afterSlavery whichto hethe hadTwenty-First aCentury book|date=2000 published: Land|publisher=University of theGeorgia PinkPress Pearl.|isbn=978-0-8203-2284-1 One|page=146 of|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UIbRHcz2ZysC&pg=PA146 the|language=en}}</ref> islands[[Louis thatDiston hePowles]] visited was Eleuthera, whereand hein madehis specificbook references''The inLand hisof bookthe Pearl'' (1888) referred to the Bluff settlement and its black residents, most notably one John Neely, the tacittacitly accepted leader of the settlement.

At the National Archives in Nassau, Bahamas, there exists a will from one Christopher Neely, a white slaveholder (a British loyalist originally from South Carolina in the colonies). In his 1807 will he makes specific references to his slaves on Abaco and New Providence Islands. In this will he states that it is his desire that his 24 slaves on [[Abaco Island]] be freed upon his death, which came within several months of his will. It is speculative at best - but not entirely unreasonable - to assume thatPossibly this settlement was established by these freed slaves from Abaco Island.

The (Eleuthera) Bluff settlement sponsors an annual homecoming event the second weekend of July which generally coincides with the Independence Day celebrations taking place throughout the entire Bahamas.