Museum of Antigua and Barbuda

by David Stanley via Panoramio

Antigua in 150 words or less

Antigua is one of the Carribean Islands that was inhabited by the Ciboney then Arawak then Carib peoples. Christopher Columbus was the first European to come in contact with the island in 1493 but it was nearly 200 years later in 1632 that the English colonised the small island. Many slaves from the West Indies were used to work in island’s sugar plantations.

Horatio Nelson spent some time on Antigua before he became renowned as the English naval hero. As senior naval officer, Nelson got the local colonists offside who had well established trade with the United State of America when he tried to enforce the Navigation Acts which forbade any trade with nations other than those of the British Empire.

One museum at Antigua?

The main one is the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda which is housed in the oldest European building on the island, the St. John’s Courthouse built in 1750. This link was inactive at the time of writing.*

Guides like the Lonely Planet suggest that the museum is quaint  but I think that museums without fancy museology can be quite interesting – the fact that it’s community run suggests financial resources may be meagre.

What are some interesting things about the museum collection?

Arawakian house reconstruction

The collection relating to slave trade seems to interest visitors.

Viv Richards’ cricket bat.

* Laughing: The very informative Historical and Archeaological Society Newsletter which is interesting in its own right does direct you to the right link “to our new website without the ‘s’” www.antiguamuseum.com