Ninety-five miles southeast of Nassau, Cat Island is the least inhabited
island in the Bahamas. It caters for those who are looking for total seclusion;
miles of beautiful pink and white sand beaches, world class diving, snorkeling
and fishing sites and the beauty of its rolling hills and rocky cliffs. No one
is quite sure how Cat Island acquired its name, however, a pirate and
contemporary of Edward "Black Beard" Teach, Aurthur Catt, was a frequent visitor
here. But others say it is because the island resembles a cat sitting on its
haunches when looking at it from above.
For more than four centuries Cat Island was actually called San Salvador and
many believed this was where Christopher Columbus first landed in the new world.
However, in 1926 a nearby island was redesignated San Salvador (as it is known
today) and the name Cat Island was revived.
British Loyalists who were fleeing the newly formed United States settled the
island in 1783. They established cotton plantations but when the cotton industry
failed and the slaves were freed the people of Cat Island turned to farming
peas, corn, potatoes and later to growing pineapples.
A single road runs the length of the island making it difficult to get lost
while exploring. Appropriately named the Main Road, it begins at Arthur's Town
in the north and ends at Port Howe in the south. Along the way you can see local
crafts like straw plaiting (weaving) hats and bags, or visit one of the island's
many beautiful churches. At Port Howe are the ruins of the Deveaux mansion, a
two story whitewashed cotton plantation house, now dilapidated and overgrown. It
was once the home of Col. Andrew Deveaux of the U.S. Navy and was given to him
as a reward for recapturing Nassau from the Spaniards in 1783.
The highest point in The islands of the Bahamas is found on Cat Island. Mt.
Alvernia rises up 206 feet through a thick forest. However this is not the
mountain's only point of interest. The Hermitage, a small monastery at the
summit of this mountain, is to this day, still shrouded in mystique. Father
Jerome built the Hermitage and the rock staircase leading to it as a final act
of religious dedication. An Anglican seminarian turned Catholic priest, Father
Jerome was well know for building cathedrals and convents throughout the
islands.
