The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda

05/18/2026

The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda proudly joins the global observance of International Museums Day 2026 under the theme “Museums Uniting a Divided World.” The Museum recognizes the important role museums play in promoting understanding, preserving cultural heritage and bringing communities together through education and shared experiences. Through its exhibitions, educational programmes, community outreach and preservation of Antigua and Barbuda’s history, the Museum continues to create spaces for dialogue, learning and national pride while encouraging appreciation for the diverse stories that shape our nation and connect people across generations and cultures.
Support the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda.

05/14/2026

Potsworks Dam

The reservoir is named after an 18th century pottery works at Garden Estate, which was owned by the Codrington family from the early 18th to the end of the 20th century.

A part of the dam was built over the site of the pottery works and a 19th century bridge. Skilled potters who were slaves, using a wheel and kiln technology, made sugar pots here. The main product was a conical sugar pot used for draining molasses from
Raw sugar.

Potsworks reservoir is the largest expanse of freshwater in the Eastern Caribbean It is about a mile long and half a mile wide. It covers an area of about 320 acres and holds one-billon gallons of water when full. Two dams hold this water; the largest is the Potsworks Dam on the eastern side and the Delaps dam on the south. The Potsworks dam was planned in the late 1960’s, and while work was underway in 1968, only 24 inches of rain fell during the entire year.

Potworks dam was officially opened in 1970, and there is a small monument to the west of the dam commemorating this event. In 1974, when there was no rainfall, the dam served the country’s water supply. In September of 1984, 5.58 inches of rain fell ending a drought, and 20 million gallons of water was caught in the dam.

Interesting species of birds can be seen around the western edge of the reservoir:

the West Indian whistling duck, snowy egret, and the cattle egret, Osprey, Great Blue Heron, Black Crowned Night Heron, Great Egret, Cattle Egret, West Indian Whistling Duck, White Cheeked Pintail, Blue Winged Teal (Winter time), Common Gallinule, Killdeer, Great Yellow Legs, Black faced Grass Quit, Grey Kingbird, Yellow Warbler.

05/04/2026

First Labour Day in Antigua 1st.May 1951
Fort James Jetty

04/15/2026

The Government House Museum has opened!!

As part of the Unlock the Museum series, hosted by the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda, we are hosting a panel discussion on April 22. The panel will include Dr. Chris Waters' archival research into the origins of Government House, Curisa Smith's architectural insights into the restoration work, Janey Howell on interior and furniture restoration, and others.

Please RSVP to reserve your space to see the newly restored Government House of Antigua and Barbuda.

All ticket proceeds and donations will support the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda.

03/12/2026

There are many funny stories that form part of our history. This is one:
The attorney who chopped off an intruder’s fingers
This happened more than 50 years ago in a house that no longer exists but was located on Factory Rd across from where the John E St. Luce Conference Centre now sits. As the story goes, the home of Attorney at Law Florence “Flo” Lake had been burglarized a few times and she was sick and tired of it. The police had been unable to apprehend the culprit. Having been unable to sleep well, because of the break-ins, Flo instantly heard when someone tried to pry open one of her windows one night. She owned a licenced firearm and so could have shot the intruder but decided to use another weapon.
She picked up her cutlas and made her way to the window. The intruder pushed up the window. He then placed his hand on the windowsill and started climbing through. At that moment Flo raised her cutlas bringing it down on the intruder’s hand cutting off parts of his fingers. The intruder now severely injured ran off.
Flo allegedly collected the severed digits, placed them into a container and drove to the police stations. She handed the fingers to the officer on duty saying that when he found the person they belonged to he would have found the person who had broken into her home many times. Antigua’s first female Attorney, Florence Lake then walked out of the station without saying anything else and was able to go back home and get a good night’s sleep.
When asked why she opted to use the cutlas and not the gun, she said that if she’d shot the intruder there would have been a mountain of paperwork to be completed and she would not have gotten any sleep that night.
(c) Barbara Arrindell March 2026.
Fell free to share this post and to take time to write and share some interesting story that you heard along the way.

02/13/2026

Any memories of Brysons merchant store, lower Long Street?

02/05/2026

12/25/2025

A very Merry Christmas from the Museum of Antigua and Barbuda and the Historical and Archaeological Society 🎄✨ Wishing you a Joyous Christmas and a very properous New Year 🥳 Thank you for you continued support in preserving the heritage and legacy of Antigua and Barbuda🇦🇬

12/16/2025

The String band

We continue our Christmas memories of the past.

Feel free to add any hand me down memories.

Gingerbeer – this was a year round drink but served at Christmas too.
Rum!!!
14. Foods:
Plenty Pork!!! Stew pork and fungie is still a favourite dish among Antiguans –
S***e – Pig feet or pig belly pickled in a brine of salt, pepper, lime juice with sliced
cucumbers
Vindarlu: Portuguese dish – pork, soaked in vinegar with marjoram, thyme, garlic etc. and
fried on Christmas morning.
15. Christmas pudding – oddles of spices, fat, steamed for hours – a specialty
16. Christmas cake – Lots of dried fruits, raisins, currants, dried cherries, which are soaked for
about a year in cake wine or rum, cinnamon, cloves, slow baked around November to cure
for Christmas.
17. Traditional Church service on Christmas morning – Methodist at Ebenezer at 5am. Practiced
since slavery with the coming of Rev. Thomas Coke
18. Christmas Eve – Everybody’s in town buying last minute things – lots of noise-making toys
and horns blowing – winding clangers, monkey-on-stick, firecrackers. Cathedral service at
midnight.
19. Christmas tree: Cherry tree or Willow (casuarina)tree branches for Christmas tree: - no
imported fir trees.
20. Christmas caroling: by different groups and the homes where they went to entertain were
expected to give them sorrel and Christmas cake. Such titbits were put aside specially for
them
21. Fly-catchers – every home spent nights before Christmas to make these – colourful layers of
tissue paper four on top of each other. Folded from a centre point to a slim point; First of all
at the very point a small cur is made from which to hang the ornament; the pattern is cut
across the fold every two inches or so. A disc of cardboard is placed in the top to hold the
paper firm and a string is put through it to hang the flycatcher. The folded piece is shaken
out and it hangs from the weight of the paper. Very pretty; It’s hung in the ceiling to attract
the flies.
22. Blinds: The windows of the smaller houses had ‘blinds’ in the windows and doors The blind
frames was like a picture frame and the blinds were strung with string across the top and
bottom. Colourful cotton fabric with flowers was used. The blind is ¾ height of window.
23. Cleaning the floors _ the floors were scrubbed white if they were unpainted......forget what
was used to make them white.
24. Floors: Shouls used to sell PLENTY Linoleum – that was the floor covering of the day.
25. Fancier homes had polished wood floors – These took a lot of care – O’Cedar Wax Polish
was used to give a high shine. Hard work.
26. Lots of scrubbing and painting went on.
27. Outside painting was a must!
28. Why so much cleaning – to welcome Baby Jesus!!! And for the visitors.
29. Boxing Day – We ate all the left over food.
30. Never drink sorrel and eat vindarlu – garlic pork – your insides would fly out – gripes for
days.
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