History of Harbour Island, Bahamas

Affectionately called “Briland” by it’s residents, Harbour Island is one of the oldest and most charming of settlements in the Bahamas. Once the capital of the Bahamas and the second largest city to Nassau in the early 1900s, the current population is estimated around 1,500. The island is located approximately 200 miles from Miami, 60 miles from Nassau and 2 miles east of Eleuthera.

On Harbour Island, you’ll see 18th century buildings restored in a Bahamian brigadoon setting. This three-mile long half-mile wide island is world-renowned for its pink sand beaches, quaint shops and extraordinary cuisine. Harbor Island’s offerings range from five star dining to a variety of “conch shacks” that line the Harbour as well as a vibrant nightlife.

Eleuthera was originally occupied by Lucayan Indians. In 1648, Captain William Sayles set sail from Bermuda with a group of English puritans looking to escape religious oppression. They named the beautiful island they found “Eleuthera” which is the Greek word for “freedom”. Dunmore Town, named after Lord Dunmore, Governor from 1786-1797, is the main and only town on Harbour Island and one of the oldest settlements in the Bahamas. A small quaint village featuring New England architecture, Dunmore was known for its ship building and sugar refinement in the late 1800s. Making rum was particularly popular during Prohibition.

While Harbour Island has a very colorful history, the island is best known for its pale pink sand beaches some three plus miles long and 100 feet wide – considered one of the very best pink sand beaches in the world. On Harbour Island, there’s something for everyone; including fine cuisine at family style restaurants, world class scuba diving, deep sea fishing, fly fishing for bone fish, surf fishing, horseback riding on the beach, shelling, day trips to Eleuthera and Spanish Wells, and shopping for souvenirs from the sidewalk vendors in Dunmore Town.