ABACO, BAHAMAS — On Friday, February 18, US Embassy Nassau Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts, Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis and other US and Bahamian government officials and stakeholders gathered on the lawn in front of the iconic Elbow Reef Lighthouse in Hope Town, Abaco, to inaugurate the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Restoration project, made possible by a grant from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) worth over $472,000 dollars.
Through the AFCP, the United States is partnering with the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society and the Elbow Reef Foundation to restore this iconic and historic landmark, which has stood on Elbow Cay for 158 years.
Regular weathering and wear, compounded by the devastating force of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, have taken a toll on this cultural treasure. The grant will help fund repairs to the interior original slate floors, the sophisticated fresnel lens that focuses a beam of light visible for up to 23 nautical miles and restoration and re-painting of the iconic red-and-white candy-colored exterior.
Chargé Pitts urged the audience of gathered dignitaries to “remember that this is an important historic marker…of our shared human history”. The restoration of the Elbow Reef Lighthouse is yet another dimension of the enduring friendship between The Bahamas and the United States, and honors the architecture, history and culture of The Bahamas, and supports Bahamian livelihoods.
Davis remarked: “Lighthouses offer hope…filled with the knowledge that some other human soul, people we may never meet, have invested so heavily to protect the journeys and lives and well-being of strangers.”
Davis noted that the lighthouse keeper’s labor to protect others “speaks to a profound sense of humanity”.
“They are hopeful example of the best in us,” he said.
It is this spirit that embodies the work to preserve and protect the Elbow Reef Lighthouse.
Also on hand to celebrate the project were Glenys Hanna-Martin, minister of education, technical and vocational training; Senator Michael Halkitis, minister of economic affairs and government leader in the Senate; Dr Michael Darville, minister of health and wellness; JoBeth Coleby-Davis, minister of transport and housing; Mike Laroda, minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister; John HW Pinder, II, Central and South Abaco MP and parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation; and Kirk Cornish, North Abaco MP and parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister on Abaco.
Restoration will not only help preserve a historic landmark but also continue to strengthen tourism and economic activity in an area devastated first by Hurricane Dorian, and then by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society and the Elbow Reef Foundation will implement the nearly half-million AFCP grant and oversee the restoration project.
Read more about the Elbow Reef Lighthouse Society’s work to protect and restore the lighthouse, including educational activities with local schools and community and civic engagement, at https://www.elbowreeflighthousesociety.com.
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