The Bluff, Bahamas: Difference between revisions

History says the settlement was established by emancipated slaves somewhere around 1807/8. In 1866, [[Louis Diston Powles]] (1842-1911),visited or L.D.PowlesEleuthera, wasand appointed Magistrate of the Bahama Islands. One ofin his first acts was to tour the island group, after which he had a book published:''The Land of the Pink Pearl.'' One(1888) of the islands that he visited was Eleuthera where he made specific references in his bookreferred 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 thatPossiblu 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.