Discover the Fascinating History of the British Virgin Islands!

Remembering the RMS Rhone ~ 1867

Remembering the Rhone One of the most tragic hurricanes to ever befall the British Virgin Islands happened 151 years ago. […]

Message in a Bottle Found on Virgin Gorda Beach! ~ 1833

Imagine walking along the beach and noticing an odd-shaped bottle still sealed and never opened! 🍾 Almost 200 years ago, […]

Rare Billy Bones Beach Bar Menu Up For Sale!

While scrolling through ebay today, I came across an interesting find! It was a dinner menu from a restaurant my husband and […]

Ann True Story Book by Flordelisa Mota

The author and I share a love of BVI history! While I am still researching my family’s lives in Anegada, […]

Sun, Sand and Murder Mystery Book by John Keyse-Walker

Here’s a new book set in the tiny island of our ancestors, Anegada. Thanks to Sophie Schiller, author of Transfer […]

A Hurricane Prayer for the Protection of the Virgin Islands

After Hurricane Irma hit the Virgin Islands destroying everything in its path, I started to think about life differently. ⛈ […]

Local Star Gazers Turned out to See a Solar Eclipse ~ 1897

The Solar Eclipse As exciting as it was for many to witness the recent solar eclipse, imagine what it was […]

Join Me on This Tour of the Lower Estate Sugar Works Museum ~ 1780

Museum Through the welcoming doorway of this old museum is an intriguing time capsule that transports the visitor back in […]

New Book Launched, Twice She Struck, The Story of RMS RHONE

New Book Launching I recently attended a fascinating presentation on the launching of a new book about the fate of […]

Evidence Found! Proof of Manatees Existing in Tortola ~ 1899

Manatees Found In Tortola Learn more about Manatees at amazon.com Follow Our Blog! You can sign up easily here. […]

The Disappearance of the Fishing Sloop, KITE ~ 1901

Note: This image is a part of the Estus H. Magoon Collection, Item No. 1398. It was used to share […]

Past Postcards from the British Virgin Islands ~ 1902

Those were the days when all you needed was the name of the addressee and the island to send postcards. […]

Rebuilding a Sunken Sailboat ~ 1916

The Schooner, Eagle Last year, I shared a fascinating story about the inter-island sloop, Eagle. Included were rare photographs of her crew […]

Lost at Sea! A Jost Van Dyke Sloop Vanishes Without a Trace ~ 1916

Imagine saying farewell to your loved one at the dock as they boarded a boat, then discovering later that they […]

Running a Rockin’ Rock Bar on Norman Island ~ 1990s

During the 1990s, my husband and I opened a beach bar on an uninhabited island in the British Virgin Islands. […]

ON THIS DAY, The Devastating Hurricane of 1867 hit the British Virgin Islands and Danish West Indies

ON THIS DAY, the costliest and deadliest hurricane of 1867, hit the British Virgin Islands and the Danish West Indies! […]

The Disappearance of the Sloop, SPIDER ~ 1916

St. Thomas was struck by one of the most destructive hurricanes in the history of the Danish West Indies! ⚡ The […]

The Sinking of the Schooner, FANCY ME ~ 1926

Launching The Fancy Me The Fancy Me was a locally-built schooner that became infamous when she was lost in a hurricane with […]

Follow Along as the YAKABOO Island Hops Through the British Virgins ~ 1911

It was Thursday, June 22nd, the Coronation Day of George the Fifth, when a little sailing canoe anchored in the […]

Finding a Few Photographs and Invoices Keeps One Schooner’s History Alive ~ 1920

During the 1920s, the schooner, Zurah was captained by the beloved Samuel Sewer. His vessel was an important link in the inter-island trade. When repairs were needed, […]

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Enjoy their Visit to the British Virgin Islands ~ 1977

Queen Elizabeth II visits the British Virgin Islands By Valerie Sims In 1977, my uncle, Ron Walker, photographed Queen Elizabeth […]

Find Your Family on this 1918 Passenger List!

During the early twentieth century, sailing vessels were the lifelines for island residents. Below are the stories of some of them and their […]

How Harvest Festival was Celebrated in Tortola ~ 1912

Harvest Festival celebrations were an integral part of life in the British Virgin Islands! It was a time when families appreciated […]

Sugarcane Laborers Return Home on a German Cargo Ship ~ 1912

During the summer of 1912, many seasonal sugarcane laborers from the British Virgin Islands, working in the Dominican Republic, returned […]

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British Virgin Islands History