Bird Week Huge Success!

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator
Bird week was a great success for the Turks and Caicos National Museum and their partner, the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum (UKOTCF). After almost nine years in the planning stages, these Trails have become a reality due to a grant from the Carnival/TCInvest/TCIGovernment Infrastructure Fund.

This little guy was ready for the bird tour!

There is now a “Walking Bird” and a “Driving Bird” tour on Grand Turk with clearly marked trail signs, placed on downed telephone poles which were donated and installed by Turks and Caicos Utilities.
This week long event, commencing on July 11, had an “early bird” walk with students and teachers from HJ Robinson High School and Dr. Mike Pienkowski and Ann Pienkowski showed the students the wonderful birds found along the Salina’s.  After the bird walk the students went to through the Botanical Garden, next to the Museum. The DECR loaned five pairs of binoculars for this event.
The Bird Drive Tour on Thursday evening, July 14, was a sold-out event. Twenty-two adults and two children rode on a bus donated by Caribbean Tours International, who also supplied 22 pairs of binoculars. What an event, even the birds cooperated! With Dr. Mike Pienkowski leading the group, even the novice birder was fascinated by the amount of different birds seen so very close.

Dr Mike Pienkowskit leads the first Bird Bus Tour

Flamingo’s took off from Town Salina just as the bus was approaching, giving the group a firsthand look at these beautiful birds in flight. An Osprey sat on the remnants of a windmill, posing for the group to take photos. We saw Black Necked Stilt five day old chicks wading in the Great Salina while their Mother watched carefully. There were ducks aplenty at South Wells, and Egrets, Pelicans and Herons at North Creek. One very brave Cattle Egret even walked in front of the bus over 100 yards as if to say “follow me for the best birding ever”.

Flamingos on the student bird walk

After this wonderful Bird Tour the group went to Jack’s Shack to have a tasty meal. Jack donated some of the proceeds of the evening back to the Museum.
Friday morning, July 15, we had the Official Opening of the Bird Trails. Ms. Lillian Swann Misick cut the ribbon with many guests watching. The guests then proceeded into the Osprey Beach Hotel where Dr. Mike had a short presentation about the importance of these Bird Trails. All participants received a lovely Osprey Commemorative Lapel Pin.

Ms. Lillian Swann Misick Officially Opening the Trails

The Turks and Caicos National Museum would like to thank the following supporters that made these events so successful.
Carnival/TCInvest/TCIGovernment Infrastructure Fund
Caribbean Tours International
DECR
Jack’s Shack
Misick’s Bakery
Osprey Beach Hotel
Turks and Caicos Utilities
UKOTCF
For more information about the tours and to purchase copies of the guides,  Contact us at the Museum.

Bird Trail Card for the Driving Tour

The Museum Has Gone Green by Going White

By Jackie Garbarino
Museum Shop and Volunteer Manager

Museum with its red roof, October 2010

In an effort to cut fuel costs and decrease our carbon “Big Foot” print, we have painted the Museum’s roof white. There are some environmentalists who think that we could greatly reduce the earth’s temperature and reduce carbon emissions if we all had white roofs.  Something to think about.
We will let you know if this effort decreases the power bills for air conditioning our exhibits and artifacts and, of course, we humans as a side benefit. We are also hoping this white elastomeric coating will eliminate the mysterious leak that has plagued the “buzzer” room for years, if not centuries. We need a good rain to assess that, so start your rain dancing now!

Museum with its new environmentally friendly roof, July 2011.

Museum Happenings!

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator
The last two weeks have been crazy busy and exciting. For a small Museum, we sure do have a lot going on!!
First we had to say goodbye to Nikki Miller Jennings our “tour guide extraordinaire” and Children’s Club Manager.   Nikki is going to Munich, Germany for awhile.  We are all hoping that Grand Turk will call her back at some point and she will once again become part of our team at the Turks and Caicos National Museum.

Here is a photo of our effervescent Nikki!
On Thursday June 9, the Museum hosted a party for Georgia Dunn Belk and Bill Belk and a few friends to tour the Museum and Botanical Garden. Also in attendance was, HE Governor and Mrs. Wetherell who were the first to see some of our new acquisitions from Mr. Hugh Hutchings.  Mr. Hutchings has generously donated a ceremonial sword that was used by his Grandfather, Hugh Houston Hutchings in the late 1800’s along with some medals.
  
Also gifted were other medals from his father, Mr. Charles Hutchings. Look for an article in the Fall Issue of Times of the Islands to read more about this important collection.

Pictured are HE Governor and Mrs. Wetherell looking at some of the new acquisitions.

Some of the other guests learning about the New Botanical and Cultural Garden
On Saturday June 10 the Turks and Caicos National Museum hosted the students from the Spirit of Bermuda, see the June 12 blog.
Then on Sunday June 11 we hosted a film crew in to do a commercial for the One Caribbean Weather Channel with none other than Joey Stevens complete with Bob the parrot. See link
http://onecaribbeanweather.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/thank-you-turks-caicos/
And if that was not enough, TCU (Turks and Caicos Utilities) has generously donated both manpower and their auger to install the poles to hold the Bird Drive and Walk signs around Grand Turk. This is a monumental undertaking and the Turks and Caicos National Museum cannot thank TCU enough for this wonderful gift.

The Bird Trails will officially open the week of July 11, 2011. Turks and Caicos is proud to the first country in the Caribbean to have a sanctioned bird trail. Bird Trail cards will be on sale at the Museum for all you birders.  Having the Salt Ponds named as protected areas will ensure that our lovely birds will have a place to call home for years to come. Be sure and follow the blog to see all the news about “Bird Week” to be held July 11-15. Also thank you to the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum for partnering with the Museum to bring this important tour to the Turks and Caicos. The Carnival Corporation/TCInvest Government Infrastructure Fund awarded a grant earlier this year to the Museum and UKOTCF so that a Bird Walking and Driving Tour could be established.
And last but certainly not least, you will be seeing a change come over Guinep House.  AND Construction is currently painting our roof with a bonding agent to prevent leaks. Color will also change from red to white to help with energy costs.  If you have not been to the Museum lately, you are really missing out. Come in and browse our wonderful Guinep House Gift Shoppe that has many locally hand-made gifts. A variety of books and sea glass items along with handmade baskets are only a few of the items available. Our friendly staff will show you around the Museum and the gift shop!

Spirit of Bermuda Crew Visits

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator
On Saturday morning  we had a visit from the Captain and crew of the Spirit of Bermuda, a sail training ship designed and built to provide students an authentic learning experience on board a replica  Bermudian-type schooner built between 1810 and 1840.

Spirit of Bermuda Captain and crew arrive at the Museum
Captain Simon Colley and his crew learned about the Molasses Reef Wreck, and how Bermuda and Turks and Caicos were very much intertwined in the early 18th century. Many of the residents of the Turks and Caicos are decedents of Bermudian families. Some of the teachers came upstairs to view the new Hutchings collection (see other blog) as the Hutchings name is a popular name in Bermuda.
On Saturday evening we were invited by Captain Colley to a reception at the Cruise Center, where plaques were exchanged between Governor Wetherell and the Captain. Students took anyone on the ship that wanted to tour the Spirit of Bermuda. A slab of Bermudian limestone was also presented to Salt Cay’s “White House”. We watched on Sunday as the Spirit of Bermuda, under full sail made its way to Salt Cay for a day, then onto Dominican Republic to help construct homes as part of the students learning experience.to learn about the islands history and the many differences between Bermuda and the TCI.

Where is Simon, Sandy and Hurricane Mia Teach Publishing

An impromptu portrait of a donkey and tales of life on a Caribbean island captured the attention of students at Newmarket Elementary School, Maryland on Friday, April 15, as they learned about the process of publishing. Our very own Donna Seim and illustrator Sue Spellman spent the day talking with students about their work, specifically two books they collaborated on: Where is Simon, Sandy? and Hurricane Mia — A Caribbean Adventure.

Donna Seim (left) and Sue Spellman (right) at Newmarket School

“We’ve done two books together (and) we’re working on a third,” Spellman said. “We were friendly first, we knew of each other and each other’s work. She’s just been great; it’s wonderful to work together.”
Students loved both books and asked many questions. “(Spellman) is really good at drawing,” said kindergarten student Lexi Catalone. “I really liked the book a lot, especially the donkey.”

Seim spoke to students first, explaining her inspiration for the book and showing photographs that she used to help her tell the story. Then Spellman talked to students about how a book is created.

“After she wrote her words for the story, it was my job to make the illustrations,” Spellman said. “I usually read the story first, using my imagination to make pictures in my head. … I would think about what I wanted on each page, how many pages I have to work with. Scribbling is the first part, then a rough sketch, then using color on good paper.”

Sue Spellman with a sketch of Sandy the donkey.

One student said he was surprised how much work goes into creating the artwork for a book. “I thought it was pretty cool that she starts with scribbles before she does her final art,” said second-grade student Owen Tower. “I love to draw too, especially chibi manga characters.”

“I liked how she did the dark drawings after the light ones,” said Emily Hoover, a second-grade student. “My favorite things to draw are chibis, bunnies and cats.”

For both, visiting with the students is an especially rewarding part of their jobs.  “It helps kids to understand more about the process,” Spellman said. “A book is a labor of love, it’s not instantaneous. It develops over time for both the author and the illustrator.”

Proceeds of Where is Simon, Sandy? help students in the Caribbean by going to the children’s club at the Turks and Caicos National Museum.

Many Thanks

By Melanie Clifton-Harvey
Museum Archivist
In early January 2010 a group of passengers from the Holland America cruise ship found their way to the museum.  After being told to look for Melanie by the ladies in the Gift Shop they came around to the Science building and the gentleman came upstairs. “My wife is a Tatem,” he said, “and we are trying to find out more about the family before we have to go back to the ship, they told us to ask for you!”

Now usually I try to get people to make an appointment to give me time to find something about the family, or at the very least find out that we have no information and provide ideas for other places to look. On this occasion I already knew that I had nothing about the Tatem family that would help this couple and as the lady had been in a car accident I thought it best to go down to her to discuss the options. Mr. and Mrs. Grether from South Carolina were looking for birth or marriage certificates from their family because some of their relatives had been born on Grand Turk, but sadly we didn’t have anything from the right time period for them in the TCNM.

I walked the couple down to see Ms. Sigrid Lightbourne and her staff at the Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths on Front Street. I explained the system to apply for a certificate, if there were any records in existence, and after doing my bit as tour guide along Front Street, we got to the Registry. The Head Registrar, Ms. Sigrid Lightbourne, very kindly said that she would make copies of any records they found in time for the couple to get back onto their cruise ship that afternoon!

I took my leave of the couple, Ken and Diane, knowing that I had left them in capable hands and it wasn’t until I received a letter from South Carolina dated January 21^st that I thought any more about a typical museum day. Mrs. Grether had written a letter to me and another to Dr. Toni Carrell at the friends of the Turks and Caicos Museum in New Mexico to thank me, and say that they had left the island with the birth certificate of her father who had been born here in 1914! Diane was extremely grateful and said that I had “aided her in achieving a special wish”.

It is always nice to be appreciated for helping people, and it was lovely to receive such a nice letter. It came as an even bigger surprise then when in mid-February I was told that I had been mentioned on the local radio station in the government news section. Apparently, Diane had also sent a letter to Ms. Clara Gardiner, Permanent Secretary for Border Control and Immigration, praising both Ms. Lightbourne and the Registry staff for their special treatment and me, and Ms. Gardiner had wanted to share this news across the Turks and Caicos Islands!
Another happy visitor!

Home Movies A La Jack Little

The Museum receives many emails on our info@tcmuseum.org, but none as interesting as the one we received in late January, 2011, from a Mr. Lawrence Jack Little. Here is his email:

I am Lawrence Jack Little.  I worked at the tracking station in 1959/60 and I visited Turk in 2004 or there about.  I talked with a Ms Cheryll Paige and promised her I would send photo I had taken while working at the tracking station.  However, I have been very remiss in my promise.  I did find some 8mm movies I had taken of various events and while diving off the end of the Island.  I do wonder if you would be interested having these movies.  If so, I will be glad to ship them to you to include in the museum in anyway.

The wife and I had a wonderful stay at the Osprey Hotel and even encountered some old friends there at the Osprey.  It was wonderful to visit back to the island to see how you have expanded the water supply and the electrical service since I had worked there.  Also, I recalled visiting the dentist while working there and his wind powered drill he used to fill a tooth for me.

I answered his email, and told Mr. Little that we would love to have his films. He converted them onto a DVD and sent it to my USA address while I was visiting my son in March. I brought the DVD back and watched it with Melanie. WOW was I ever surprised. For a “home movie” from 1959-1960 it is wonderful. Numerous shots of the island, the Bases, and footage of Front Street with many buildings that are no longer standing. There were also some underwater clips, something we only thought would be done via Hollywood and “Sea Hunt”. (Only real Baby Boomers would remember that one!!).

Since we had “Movie Night” at the Museum scheduled for Tuesday, March 29, we decided it would be great to have this footage precede our feature film. When I emailed Mr. Little and told him, we both agreed that some things never change some 50 years later…entertainment on Grand Turk is self made!
When our movie-goers were assembled, I read the email that Mr. Little had sent, and told everyone they were in for a real treat. Once the movie started, everyone was shouting out “oh where is that” or “oh my how things have changed”. Mr. and Mrs. Dempsey were the best at recognizing some of the places in the film. We are making them a copy so they can sit and go through it at their leisure. This way the Museum has a record of what is on the film.

Although Mr. Little was not in attendance for the “premier” of his film, he did get a standing ovation.

Most folks thought his movie was much better than our feature presentation!
So, dig through those cupboards and storage units and send the Museum your photos or memories.
Here is everyone waving to Mr. Little.

Who Were They? Family History Research

By Melanie Clifton-Harvey

Endangered Archives Project

As part of my work here as the Endangered Archives Project Principal Investigator and Archivist, I was able to coordinate one of a series of workshops and seminars involving government offices and local church leaders. Joining us was Mr. Tim Law from the Familysearch project in Utah, one of the largest online genealogical sites and repositories of family history information in the world. 

The morning involved a presentation by Tim on the history and background of how Familysearch works to digitize and preserve family history records around the world and how the process has changed since the early plate cameras of the 1930's when it was started. With a lively question and answer session throughout, I followed up with a short Powerpoint presentation on the Basics of Archives. Covering Site, Storage, Handling and Cleaning with some interesting pictures taken from her investigations and preservation work in the Turks and Caicos Islands! 

Having already visited the TCI Registry Offices, after the workshop finished Tim and and I  visited the Anglican church with Reverend Mark Kendall, where we discovered the early registers from 1865 from Salt Cay with Births and Burials included!

The last trip was to the Baptist Church where there are also some interesting records from this period regarding North and Middle Caicos and Provo (Blue Hills then). With a little follow-up and contract signing to make sure that all privacy laws are upheld we hope to go ahead with copying all the records we have found so far and enable much greater public access, stay tuned for more information...

New Gates and the Back 40: Botanical Garden Part 3

By Jackie Garbarino
Gift Shop and Volunteer Manager

The progress in the museum garden is amazing! Pat and Joseph (and anyone else that comes by with a willing hand) have been working hard and it shows.



Joseph is also becoming an accomplished carpenter. It seems he has latent talent. His temporary Donkey Barrier was just what we needed.

Joseph and the donkey barrier.

With the help of AND Construction, we are making huge progress on the botanical garden.

Rebuilt wall, fence and gate by the AND team.

Reclaim, reuse, and recycle bird style! Even our resident Night Heron is “going green”

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator

Yellow-Crowned Night Heron. Photo courtesy Greg Lavaty

Every morning I come into work, our resident Yellow-crowned-Night Heron (which I call Big Bird) sits on the wall along the Science Building. I had not seen him in a few days and was worried because there are some cats around. Then, last week, Jackie pointed out to me that he had a nest, over the exposed water tank in the lot next door. So now every morning I take a look and a listen to make sure Big Bird and family are ok. Last night when I was leaving work, I noticed only one Heron sitting by the nest, so I was a bit concerned.

Ahhh but my concerns were soon dashed as I came around to the front of the Museum. There, sitting and pecking at the old carpet Joseph had taken out of the Museum was Mr. Big Bird. He didn’t see me, so I stood and watched as he pulled and pulled at the strings of raveled carpet. Soon a long piece broke off, and away he went, walking at first with this large piece of “string” dragging behind him.

It sure was a funny site and I had to keep from laughing out loud. Perhaps he knew someone was watching, because he took off over the wall, and looked like a kite, with a long string attached! I guess the new “digs” must be comfortable, because this morning I saw Mr. and Mrs. Big Bird sitting by their nest, perhaps admiring their interior decorating!

By the way, soon we will have our Bird Walking and Bird Driving Trails marked throughout Grand Turk. The Museum and the Botanical Garden are both part of these tours, so be sure to stop by and watch the birds in their natural habitat within our garden, and on the beach.

Fabulous Movie Night!

By Jackie Garbarino

So I thought the evening was lost when the DVD refused to play.  Luckily we started to hook up the system at 6 for a 7:30 showing.  Tiffany started the effort soon to be joined by Nalthia and then Melanie.  I was a bundle of nerves but Nalthia maintained calm and a positive attitude.  At 7:15 victory was won, the room filled up with wonderful movie lovers, the bar was hopping and all was well on the Isle of Grand Turk.  Thanks as always for supporting the museum!


Nalthia, Melanie & Tiffany our very own Beautiful Geeks!

 



Movie, drinks and snacks.  All on Grand Turk...does it

get any better than this!  Yes, because it supports our

National Museum.

.



Number One Bartender Captain Mitchell with Number One
Savory Snack Maker Miss Stephanie and Number One
Fee Collector Mister Neil.



Bella Bench!

By Jackie Garbarino
Museum Gift Shop and Volunteer Manager

This bench is so beautiful, we may have to put it in
an exhibit case.

Thank you, Seamus for this beautiful bench.  You are receiving praise from one and all.  And well deserved praise. They say we have many careers in our lives and I think you have found your best so far. I checked out the signature...very nice touch.  So in addition to looking wonderful it is keeping people alert to the change in the floor height and giving the folks somewhere to rest and contemplate history.

Rain, Rain . . : Botanical Garden Part 2

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator

So today was the first cruise ship tours to the Botanical Garden. The Museum was asked to be the tour guides for these first few tours, which was fantastic because Malcolm was interested in learning the tour. Also because I love giving this tour, I love the garden--wish I could do this for a living instead of crunching numbers.

Kitchen garden and remains of Bascome House chimney.

We were prepared for a busy day at the Museum and in the Garden, when we realized that the power plant had a fire, and the electricity was shut off to the whole island. This meant we could not open the Museum, and the Botanical Garden Tours would now increase and the first tour was on the way -- two hours early!  All the Museum staff pitched in to help me place the plant markers in the garden. We all had a good laugh as the team called out the name of a plant and someone ran with the marker.  I can’t tell you how great it was to see everyone pitch in to make the first tours possible…now that is team work!

Christmas Palm and Zinnias

Basket palm with new sign.

The ships that came in that day were small “boutique” ships with lots of folks from the UK.  English people love their gardens, and know their plants, so we had to be on top of our game. We had a great time, many visitors posed interesting questions. Everyone was intrigued with Malcolm, his hair, and the fruit off the tamarind tree which he picked for them.

It was all going great, and then the heavy rain came. Great for the garden, bad for the tours. So to add insult to injury, no museum tours, and no botanical garden tours could be conducted in the afternoon. Oh well, we did have fun in spite of the weather and no electricity!

The Early Bird ...

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator

On Sunday February 13^th some very lucky early birds got a chance to “walk with the pros” on a trial run of the bird trail. Dr. Mike Pienkowski, the leading ornithologist for the UK Overseas Territories and his lovely wife Ann, led a small group of “birders” at 6:30AM from the Osprey Beach Hotel around the Salinas.

Novices learning the techniques from Dr Mike Pienkowski.

The light at that time of the morning was truly spectacular to see and photograph some of Grand Turks wonderful birds. Dr. Mike pointed out Ruddy Turnstones (so called because they turn over stones to look for food), and different types of Plovers. Of course the flamingos were all out strutting their stuff for us to see! Ducks, and Herons and Gulls oh my!

Not only was this an informative morning, it was really a fun time.I learned so very much about this very fragile ecosystem we call "salinas". It seems in "developed" countries, they are trying to duplicate what we have naturally right here in Grand Turk. Wet lands.

Eyeing the Snowy Plover.

Unfortunately, all of us on the walk could see the damage being done to the Salinas because of dumping. Some Salinas had an incredible amount of birds feeding, while others were abandoned. Mike explained that due to filling in the Salinas, the silt gets too thick for the birds to hunt for food, so they leave. Luckily some of the Salinas have been protected.

After the tour, we came back to the Science Building for a question and answer session with Mike and Ann. I know I learned a lot, and although I continue to refer the Yellow Crowned Night Heron as Big Bird, I think Mike forgives me!

Setting the Donkey Cart Free

By Jackie Garbarino
Museum Gift Shop  and Volunteer Manager

The work to free the donkey cart started in November and ended in the New Year.  It took weeks of work to remove the overgrowth of mother- in-law tongues along the front and side of the museum building.  Each plant has a deep thick root resembling a large carrot and it must all be removed to prevent these mothers from sprouting again.

As you can see in the picture at left, they had grown to the edge of the narrow walkway so there was no way the cart could pass.








We hope we have defeated these mothers but time will tell.  Joseph remains vigilant. 

Joseph is also cultivating a small kitchen garden.  The neighbor behind the museum has donated a papaya seedling and gave us each a papaya from the mother plant.  It was the sweetest treat and we both hope our plant bears similar delicious treats.

Restoring the Queens

By Jackie Garbarino
Museum Gift Shop and Volunteer Manager

Queen Victoria waiting to be restored.

When I began working at the Museum the condition of the Queens’ portraits distressed me. It was sad to see these elegant ladies in such an inelegant state: the frames had worm damage, the matting was water-marked, and the portraits were deteriorating as they were not under glass. Finbar Dempsey remembers these portraits hanging in an administrator’s office and thinks they may have been damaged by one of the many hurricanes we have had over the 47 years he has lived on Grand Turk. Time to do some fixing up, I thought.

I contacted Ian Worth at Greensleeves Frame Shop in Provo for advice and an estimate for putting things right. After sending him a photo and measurements, he gave me a price for restoring the three Queens currently hanging in the museum: Victoria, Mary and the Queen Mum. All are coronation portraits. Then Melanie Clifton-Harvey, our visiting archivist, found Elizabeth hiding in the archival room of the science building. We were very happy to have the current queen to add to the group, and her portrait was in much better condition being the youngest and protected from the elements.

That's me trying to squeeze in with
one of the Queens.

So now Pat Saxton and I set about finding sponsors to pay the piper. I spoke with my husband and we decided to sponsor Queen Victoria and dedicate it to his father, the great Italian actor Massimo Girotti. We thought he would be pleased to be remembered in this way on an island in the Caribbean. When I told Catherine and Mitchell of our plans, they immediately took the plunge and chose to sponsor Elizabeth, followed by Pat and Neil Saxton who came up with the funding for their favorite Queen!

The next hurdle was getting the portraits to Provo; Mitchell to the rescue again. He volunteered to fly the ladies first class in his plane if I went along for the final land delivery to Greensleeves. It was a tight squeeze as the portraits measure 42 x 30 inches.

Mitchell volunteered to fly the Queens to Providenciales
for restoration.  They got first class treatment.

When I delivered two of the portraits to Ian at Greensleeves, I could see by the way his eyes lit up with the challenge that the Queens would be well cared for and lovingly restored. We should have the two ladies back sometime in February via the Mitchell Express. Hopefully we will soon have sponsorship for the last remaining Queen, and can then take Queen Mary and Queen Mum to have them restored together. Anyone interested? Contact me: Jackie Garbarino at (649) 247-2160 or email garbarino.jackie@gmail.com.

Your support of our wonderful museum is always very much appreciated.

A Grave Project for Valued Volunteers

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator

The Hutt family carefully cataloged grave sites
at St Thomas Church on Grand Turk.

The Turks & Caicos National Museum has been very fortunate to have a lot of wonderful volunteers doing some very interesting jobs! Among the most interesting is cataloging the grave sites at St. Thomas’ church in Grand Turk. Many of the grave markers have been weathered beyond recognition, so the Hutt Family has been recording the headstones which are still readable, so that there will be a record for the future.

Duncan, Sally and their son Fraser have spent many long hours in the sun so that this bit of history will be saved. They came up with a schematic of the graveyard, and were able to record most of the site, using death records to help identify the graves. These records are now housed within the Museum and should one day find a home in a National Archival Building. The Hutts were in Turks & Caicos doing volunteer work on Middle Caicos for the National Trust, and for their Christmas break, decided to come to Grand Turk to volunteer for the Museum.

Now that is dedication!

Digging in the Garden: Bringing it Back Part 1

By Pat Saxton
Museum Administrator

Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow? This old English children’s rhyme had more to do with politics than gardening—but the Museum’s Arboretum/Botanical Garden is all about the garden!

Through the years the Turks and Caicos National Arboretum has metamorphosed into many things. After its establishment, native trees planted in the garden grew unexpectedly well into a cool, shady forest of green with winding paths and fragrant blossoms, where Museum events were held and people walked.  After Hurricane Ike in 2008, when it was nearly destroyed, the Arboretum was left to fend for itself and further deteriorated. Unfortunately, it had much help from invasive plants as well as non-caring folks who used it as a dumping ground for trash and stolen items.

The botanical and cultural garden will be divided into
zones reflecting the landscape diversity found in the
TCI. It will also eventually include a butterfly garden
and local plants used for medicinal purposes.

Flash forward to August 2010, when a new team of Museum staff saw the endless possibilities for the garden. A proposal was made, and with the help of a local botanist, a scheme was set in motion. With seed money from a Wilmington Hurricane Relief Grant and hopefully other funding, the National Arboretum is changing into the Turks and Caicos Botanical and Cultural Garden.  Oh, and did I mention that all of this work was done with volunteers? From the proposal, to the layout, to the removal of years of garbage, to the lovely benches that were donated by Caribbean Tours International, (see Gazebo Renovation, October 22, 2010), the work has been initiated through the in-kind donations of individuals and companies.

When we started the clean up last Fall, we stumbled across a cash register that had been dumped there after a recent robbery of a famous fried chicken establishment. The Police were called, and after getting the facts, the policewoman started speaking about how lovely the garden used to be and how peaceful it was. We explained that we were trying to turn it around, and she was extremely pleased.

This seems to be the consensus of the island.  The Garden’s focus will be expanded to include many different native plants, including those with uses in the local “bush medicine” pharmacopeia. Well-grown mature trees will be pruned properly and labeled with identification markers, and facilities for caring for the garden will be upgraded. Strategic use of native plants will showcase their value in landscaping to encourage homeowners and businesses to choose landscaping schemes inclusive of TCI’s own botanical heritage.

We hope the Garden will again be a peaceful place for both residents and day visitors to observe and learn about nature, be it the resident yellow crowned night-herons, the numerous butterflies, or whale watching in February. The garden is coming back to life and we hope to improve it into a true national treasure. We are still in the first stages of the transformation. Keep checking the blog for regular updates and when you can, come by and see it for yourself.