New Providence
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New Providence |
New Providence is the most populous island in the
Bahamas.
While the first
European visitors to the Bahama Islands were
Bermudian salt rakers gathering
sea salt in
Grand Turk and
Inagua after
1670, the first lasting occupation was on
Eleuthera and then New Providence shortly thereafter. The attraction of New Providence was one of the best sheltered natural small vessel harbors in the
West Indies.
Because of the harbor, and near adjacency to the
Florida Strait, New Providence became a nest of
pirates preying on mainly
Spanish shipping returning to Spain with
gold,
silver, and other wealth. The apex of piratical activity there was from
1715 to
1725, after which the British government established a formal colony and military headquarters centered on the small city of
Nassau fronting the New Providence harbor.
In February 1776,
Esek Hopkins led a squadron of over 7 ships in an effort to raid the British-held island in order to secure supplies and munitions. On March 3, Hopkins landed the first-ever amphibious assault by American military forces consisting of 250 marines and sailors. Under the covering fire of
Providence (12) and
Hornet (10), the attackers overwhelmed Fort Montagne. The British retreated to Fort Nassau, but then surrendered to Continental forces. The Americans managed to secure 88 cannon and 15 mortars, but most of the madly desired gunpowder was evacuated before capture. Hopkins spent two weeks loading his ships with the booty before finally returning home
After the
American Revolution, several thousand
Tories and their
slaves emigrated to New Providence and nearby islands, hoping to re-establish
plantation agriculture. The shallow soils and sparse rainfall doomed this activity to failure, and by the early 19th century the Bahamas had become a nearly vacant
archipelago. Salt raking continued here and there, wreck gleaning was profitable in
Grand Bahama, but New Providence was the only island with any prosperity because of the large British military establishment. The fortresses began to crumble and were abandoned by
1850. New Providence had two periods of high economic success during the
American Civil War and during
Prohibition, when it was a smuggling center.
Since
1960, New Providence has become an American vacation destination with many tourist facilities, including deepened harbor for short visit cruise ship visitors and hotels featuring gambling activity. Two-thirds of the 300,000 Bahamians live on New Providence, although this proportion has fallen somewhat with the development of
Freeport on
Grand Bahama.
