The History of The Abacos

It is widely believed the Arawak and Carib Indians inhabited The Abacos in the Pre-Columbus era. However, The Abacos’ distinctive character dates back to the islanders’ Loyalist heritage. British Loyalists left the United States after the American Revolution in 1783 to establish plantations. Many moved to Nassau. Others were drawn to virgin land for the taking in The Out Islands, including the uninhabited Abacos. Here, 600 refugees from New York founded Carleton, the first Loyalist settlement on Great Abaco near the present-day resort of Treasure Cay.

They envisioned their town would become King Cotton of the Caribbean and for a few years, their dream came true. The economy boomed and the population grew to more than 2,000. But soon the fields failed within a few years because of pests and soil depletion.

Most of the settlers moved away, leaving a population of 400 on the islands by the end of the century—200 white planters and 200 black slaves. The fifty-fifty ratio has held steady to this day. The Abacos has five times more white residents per capita than The Islands Of The Bahamas as a whole.

In the 1800s, The Abacos took on an almost New England character as fishing, wooden boatbuilding and "wrecking"—salvaging damaged ships while they were sinking—became the mainstays of the local economy. It took nearly a century for the boatbuilding industry to strip the island of its hardwoods, and today only two firms carry on the tradition.

Still, the Loyalist heritage of The Abacos remains strong. Many island residents, commonly called Conky Joes, vehemently opposed Bahamian independence and even tried to secede from The Bahamas and form their own British colony. Descendants of the original settlers even went to England to solicit the support of Queen Elizabeth II, but their efforts were rebuffed.