Times of the Islands Fall 2021

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astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum the ocean. As the town developed into an important commercial center, several government buildings and offices were created in the vicinity, particularly on Front Street. Salt was the lifeblood of Grand Turk. It single-handedly transformed the island into an economic hub. From as early as the 18th century, the French showed interest in the Turks & Caicos Islands because of the profitable salt trade. At the end of the Seven Years War in 1764, the French Admiral Comte d’ Estainy briefly occupied Grand Turk. The British did not take kindly to this aggressive move. They were reluctant to see another European power amassing wealth from the proceeds of salt. In order to stamp their dominance on the island, the British made Grand Turk the capital in 1766 and introduced the position of King’s Agent, with Andrew Symmer being the first to hold this new-found office. It was also an attempt by the British to maintain a strong physical governmental presence on the island to safeguard all proceeds from the salt trade for the British Crown. The British presence, however, did not deter the French. They returned in 1783. This return trip was historical as it made Grand Turk more famously known for the Battle of Grand Turk which transpired on March 9, 1783 during the American Revolutionary War. The French captured the Bermudians along with their salt workers before proceeding to exercise their political and military might over residents in the Caicos Islands. In response to the actions by the French, the British deployed a 28-gun frigate HMS Albermarle with a force of 100 men under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson. Their mission was to rescue the Islands from the French. Unfortunately, this military mission ended in total failure. In the end, it took diplomatic action by both parties through the Treaty of Paris to formally conclude the war after six months. This raid by the French caused the British to exercise closer oversight of the island and its important role in the international salt trade. Another important historical feature of Grand Turk is Waterloo, constructed in 1815. It was later purchased by the British Government in 1857, eventually becoming the home for the British resident governors in the territory. In 1898, the first cable was landed on Grand Turk by Halifax Cable Company, later called Direct West India Cable Company Limited of Canada. This investment made Grand Turk an important cable station linking the island with the rest of the world. These 1965 aerial views of Grand Turk show (at top) its capital Cockburn Town, which includes many of the structures that are standing today and (at bottom) the vast salinas that made the salt industry a thriving business for many years. Built in 1815, Waterloo served for many years as the residence for British governors in the territory. Ironically, in 1975 members of the Junkanoo Club marched on Waterloo to demand social, economic and political reform. Their protest secured a new constitution and the start of TCI ministerial government in 1976. In 1921, the first high school was opened in Grand Turk providing secondary education for students on all of the Turks & Caicos Islands. This was in addition to the TED PHILIPPONA–TURKS AND CAICOS NATIONAL MUSEUM COLLECTION 72 www.timespub.tc
astrolabe newsletter of the Turks & Caicos National Museum two government primary schools that were already operational in the island. An inter-island radio service was inaugurated in 1923. This operated until 1941, following the takeover of the Grand Turk station by Cable and Wireless. A major historical development for the island took place in the 1950s when the US bases and radar tracking station were set up. The US NAVFAC 104 (known as North Base) was commissioned on October 23, 1954. This base was a part of the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) and underwater listening system that was designed to track Soviet submarines. It was eventually decommissioned on March 31, 1980. The Grand Turk Air Force Base, a missile tracking station, was built by a joint agreement between the UK and the US. It came into service in 1953. The purpose of this facility was to track long-range missiles launched from the US and also monitor satellites and manned flights launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The third facility that was constructed by the US on Grand Turk was on Colonel Murray’s Hill (known colloquially as “Nookie Hill.”) When John Glenn splashed down in the waters of the TCI in his space capsule Friendship 7 in 1962 after orbiting the earth, NASA never knew that Glenn was still alive. It was from Colonel Murray’s Hill that the heart rates and positions of the astronauts John Glenn in Friendship 7 and later in the year, Scott Carpenter in Aurora 7, were monitored. US Vice President Lyndon Johnson came to Grand Turk to take Astronaut John Glenn back to the United States. These bases further augmented Grand Turk’s strategic position in the US Global Surveillance Operations programme. The first hotel, Turks Head Inn, was opened on Grand Turk by the government in 1965 but sold three years later to a private individual. In 1966, the government opened a savings bank on Grand Turk and Barclays Bank (now CIBC/First Caribbean International Bank) was opened on April 12, 1966. As a means of boosting the tourism sector following the opening of the Turks Head Inn, the government in 1969 constructed new air terminal buildings on both Grand Turk and South Caicos. An attempt at implementing the A Level programme in education was made in the early 1970s but this was short-lived. This failed effort did not impede plans of developing post-secondary education however, as the Turks & Caicos Islands Community College opened its This historic photo of Grand Turk’s “North Base” is an aerial view looking southwest. The large white area was used for catching and storing rainwater. Grand Turk residents greet US Vice President Lyndon Johnson in 1962 when he came to accompany Astronaut John Glenn back to the United States following his splashdown in the ocean off Grand Turk. This is the original Barclays Bank building which opened on Grand Turk in 1966. doors in Grand Turk on September 18, 1994 with assistance from the Caribbean Development Bank. The old Navy Base buildings were eventually refurbished to facilitate the transfer of the community college to a permanent home. TURKS AND CAICOS NATIONAL MUSEUM COLLECTION Times of the Islands Fall 2021 73
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TIMES OF THE SAMPLING THE SOUL OF T
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JAMAICA’S ULTIMATE VOTED WORLD’
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TurksAndCaicosProperty.com 5 Acre M
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WHEN OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS TWICE . . .
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LEADING THE INDUSTRY IN HEALTH AND
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TIMES OF THE ISLANDS MANAGING EDITO
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Author/illustrator Katherine Orr ha
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SHUTTERSTOCK Live and in the flesh
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