According to local history, the story goes that when Columbus navigated his way through Crooked Island Passage, the sweet aroma of the native herbs and flowers drifted out to his ship and delighted his senses. Soon after, the Crooked Island area became known as the 'fragrant islands', but it wasn't until the end of the 18th century that the first recorded settlers, British Loyalists from America, actually set foot on the island.
Quickly making themselves at home, these Loyalists established almost 50 cotton plantations, which supported them until 1820 when the crops were destroyed by blight and poor soil conditions. Those people who remained were able to survive by adapting to fishing and small-scale farming. To supplement their income, by the middle of the 18th century, Crooked Islanders began stripping bark from the Croton Cascarilla shrub and shipping it to Italy to be used as flavouring in the famous Campari liqueur.
You'll still find a number of interesting old plantation houses on Crooked Island. The ruins, preserved by the Bahamas National Trust, overlook Crooked Island Passage, one of the most important sea passages for ships following the southerly route to the Panama Canal.
As for other historic buildings, to the north there's the shimmering Bird Rock Lighthouse, built to guard the Crooked Island Passage and now a popular nesting spot for ospreys, and the Castle Island Lighthouse on the southern tip of Acklins.
The Crooked Island caves are another place of historical interest to explore. Here, dark passageways open up into gaping chambers with chinks of sunlight shining through holes at the top.
