Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RUM, GAMBLING & GIS
Top Historical Sites
» Fort Fincastle, Nassau
» Mt Alvernia Hermitage, Cat Island
» Elbow Cay Lighthouse, Abaco
» Preacher's Cave, Eleuthera
The islands were again granted divine deliverance in the 1920s with Prohibition, which for-
bade the sale of alcohol in the US. The Nassau waterfront soon resembled a vast rum ware-
house. Millions of gallons of alcohol were whisked across the water to Florida or New Jer-
sey's Rum Row. Construction boomed and the islands' first casino opened, attracting gam-
blers and gangsters alongside a potpourri of the rich and famous. However the repeal of
Prohibition again shattered Nassau's economic hopes, the Depression followed, and the Ba-
hamas hit skid row.
During WWII the islands served as a base for Allied air and sea power. Exhausted GIs
came to the islands to recuperate and were joined by wealthy Canadians and Americans
wanting some winter sun.
A RIGHT ROYAL RENEGADE
In 1940 the Duke and Duchess of Windsor arrived as governor and governess.
Formerly King Edward VIII of England, the duke abdicated the throne in 1936 to
marry an American divorcee; Wallis Simpson, 'the woman I love.' The couple
ensured that the rich and famous poured into Nassau in postwar years, and set the
trend for the ruling Brits and their romances to hit the headlines.
Edward, who had suffered great humiliation in Britain, proved as controversial
in the Bahamas as he had at home. Some claim that he made strides to right the
colony's backward and racist politics. Others believe he endorsed the corrupt
ways of the 'Bay Street Boys,' an oligarchy of white lawyers and merchants that
dominated the islands' assembly for many years.
It is argued that the duke was sent to the Bahamas as a punishment. Other
evidence suggests that on the eve of WWII, the Nazis were planning to kidnap
the duke - who had settled in the south of France - and restore him to the throne
as a puppet after Hitler's forces had conquered Great Britain. Edward had shown
sympathies toward Nazism. Winston Churchill, the prime minister, urged King
George VI to send his brother to the Bahamas to place him out of harm's way.
Nonetheless, the duke was beloved by many in the Bahamas and became the
topic of several endearing songs and poems.
