Historical Signs and Self-Guided Walking Tour Booklet

The St. Eustatius Historical Foundation has recently been awarded a grant from Prins Bernhard Culture Funds Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, to make historical information signs and a walking tour booklet. Sixteen colourful fibreglass signs will be designed and placed at the main historical sites in Oranjestad. The purpose of the signs is to bring Statia's history alive for locals and visitors, with historical depictions and information from documentary sources and archaeological investigations at the sites of interest. The walking tour booklet will be sold to visitors who want to explore Statia's historical sites at their own pace or as a gift to give to relatives that are interested in the history of St. Eustatius. Profits will go towards the Historical Foundation and towards further re-reprints of the booklet.

Living History Museum- 18th Century Blacksmith Shop

In 1991 the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation Board concieved of a project where the museum grounds would be used as a living history museum to bring Statia's history to life. The project was based upon successful open-air museums, such as Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, USA. It was intended to tell Statia's history through a recreation of the daily activities that occurred in the late 18th century. The project is called the Museum of the First Salute. In 2002 the Historical Foundation recieved funding for a part of this project, which included the construction of a blacksmith shop. The building of the forge has begun and it is hoped that a roof and work benches will be finished by the end of 2006. The Historical Foundation is presently acquiring the collections to furnish the blacksmith shop. We hope to locate original documents that refer to blacksmithing on Statia, which will further enhance the interpretations given in our displays.

Re-creation of a wattle and daub slave hut

The children in the Young Archaeologists Club are working on a project to build an authentic wattle and daub slave hut. These huts are described in documentary sources and can be see in photographs from the late 19th-early 20th century. Slightly different forms of huts were lived in by both free blacks and the enslaved on each of the Caribbean islands. The huts were made of wood and grasses that could be found in the local environment. They usually had thatched roofs that were made of either grasses, cane tops, palm fronds or banana tree leaves. The design of our hut is dictated by a local man, eighty-four year old Mr. Bass. He was born on St. Kitts and learned how to make these traditional houses when he was young, therefore the Historical Foundation is eager to record this building tradition before the knowledge is lost.

Research and Documentation of Statian Cuisine

Board member Mary Brown organised a project to document traditional Statian recipes and to conduct research into their origins. Many traditional recipes are passed down through families orally, which means that if they are not recorded some many be forgotten or altered. The intention of this project is not only to reocrd a unique and important part of Statia's multi-cultural history, but also to produce a book that can be purchased by locals and visitors alike. Readers will learn about Statia's history while using the traditional recipes. The Historical Foundation is now in the process of printing this cookbook.

Museum Studies Interns

From June-August 2006 two museums studies interns from the Cooperstown Graduate Programme (part of the State University of New York- SUNY) worked with the St. Eustatius Historical Foundation on museum projects. It is hoped that this project will continue a link between St. Eustatius and Cooperstown history museum studies programme. The interns acquired collections for display in the blacksmith shop and wrote a furnishing plan for the shop, and they have also provided advice on lighting and climate control in the museum. Their main project was to define long-term plans for the museum in terms of collections managment, financial development, exhibitions, educational programmes and professional development.

Re-creation of the Andrew Doria

The Island Government is currently working on a project, that is co-ordinated by SECAR Director Grant Gilmore, to make a full-size reproduction of the brigantine Andrew Doria. This ship was one of the first to be commissioned by the USS Navy. In 1776 the Andrew Doria sailed to the St. Eustatius carrying a copy of the Declaration of Independance and flying the newly formed Grand Union flag. Upon her arrival in Statia's roadstead she fired her canons, as was customary at the time. The Governor of Statia, Johannes De Graff ordered a return of fire, thus the independant United States of America was first recognised by a foreign power on the 16th November 1776 at St. Eustatius! Every year St. Eustatius celebrates this day as Statia-America Day. It is hoped that the replica of the Andrew Doria will be constructed in Gallows Bay on St. Eustatius by professional shipwrights from the USA who will also train local residents to work alongside them on the project. The finished ship will be used to take visitors on rides around the island and to neighbouring islands, and as an educational programme for local school children and for students participating in semester-at-sea schemes. The shipwrights are presently drawing up detailed plans, based upon historical sources, to accurately re-build the Andrew Doria. The original ship was scuttled on the Delaware River in 1777, just off Fort Mercer. With sufficent funding an underwater archaeological project to locate the Andrew Doria would provide invaluable additional information for making an accurate reproduction of the ship.