History of Long Island

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Long Island was originally named Yuma by the Lucayan Indians and was renamed Fernandina by Christopher Columbus upon his third landfall in the New World. Then, in 1790, Loyalists from the Carolinas and their slaves settled Fernandina. They built large plantations and produced sea-island cotton until the abolition of slavery, which made them unprofitable.

Today, many of the Loyalist mansions still stand as a reminder of the island's past. Although the plantations are overgrown and non-productive, agriculture is still a very important part of life here. Pothole farming, a method that uses holes in the limestone where fertile topsoil collects, yields much of the food supply for the other islands, including peas, corn, pineapples and bananas. Breeding sheep, goats and pigs is also popular amongst Long Islanders.

The pace of life has not changed much since Long Island's faraway past. The carriage road, built more than a century ago, is lined by the island's major settlements - Burnt Ground, Simms, Wood Hill, Clarence Town, Roses and South Point - which are all situated around the island's harbours and anchorages.