The "The Pompey Museum And Slavery In The Bahamas" Story

The Pompey Museum in Nassau, Bahamas.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing inside the Pompey Museum on Bay Street in downtown Nassau.  The museum is located in a place known as the Vendue (derived from the French word meaning sold) House which served as the Bahamian locale for the slave auctions of the Eighteenth Century.  The museum is a short walk from the harbor and water taxis and is a permanent exhibit which illustrates the history of slavery, abolition and emancipation in the Bahamas.  

The original Vendue House where slaves were sold at auction.

The building was constructed sometime before 1796 and was named for the slave, Pompey, who lived at Steventon on the island known as Exuma.  The Vendue House originally was a single story cut-limestone building with opened arches and colonnades.  

An artist rendering of the Vendue House.

It was called the Bourse and Vendue which are French words that define the nature of the sales business that was an important part of the govern- ment's financial enterprise until the 1880's.  Enslaved Africans were an integral commodity sold from the auctioneer's block at Vendue House.  The building was electrified in 1909 and eventually became the home of the Utilities Corporation.   In 1992 it became the Pompey Museum.  

Pompey Square where auctions were held on a regular basis.
This square stands to the left of the Vendue House.

In September of 2001 the building was engulfed in flames when a fire at the nearby Straw Market, a shopping commons, spread to the Vendue House.  Ten years later on December 2nd, after a temporary straw market that was built directly next to the Vendue House caught fire, the Vendue House once again caught on fire one.  The building that Carol and I are standing in today has been totally redone and is a beautiful museum.  The Vendue carries the name of Pompey Museum in honor of the courageous slave, Pompey, who lived on the Rolle Plantation on Steventon.  In 1830, 77 slaves on Lord Rolle's plantation were given only one week's notice that they were going to be relocated from Exuma to Cat Island.  

Pompey Square stands on this side of the museum.

The response was a rebellion initiated by a 32-year-old slave named Pompey.  The enslaved African men and women fled to the bush rather than be moved before they could harvest their crops.  When provisions ran out, 44 or them returned and seized Lord Rolle's salt boat.  With Pompey at the helm, they headed for Nassau, hoping to appeal to anti-slavery governor Carmichael Smith.  Apprehended en route, they were thrown into the Nassau workhouse, tried and found guilty.  Since the slaves move to Nassau was illegal, the governor had Pompey and his followers returned to Exuma where they were greeted with mass celebration.  Eventually the government made an example of Pompey and publicly gave him 39 lashes.  Pompey's Revolt was a major triumph of the anti-slavery movement in The Bahamas.  

Our personal tour guide Byron

Abolition of slavery would come on August 1, 1834 and full Emancipation in 1838 following a period of apprenticeship.  Our guide today was Byron who showed us around the museum and pointed out the highlights of the displays.  Most of the displays consisted of boards that carried written material telling of the hardships and imaginable punishment  and horrors of slave trade.  Outside the building was the Pompey Square where slaves were placed on the auction block for sale to the highest bidder.  There were visuals that we could view which featured shackles and chains used to hold the slaves from escaping.  Hard to imagine what life must have been like for the human beings that, because of their skin color, were destined for a life of cruel slavery.  At times Carol and I both felt sick to our stomachs realizing the pain and anguish that these humans had to go through in life.  We finished our tour and thanked Byron for his time and knowledge of the musuem.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

These are rings of metal worn on the arm or wrist by Africans and used as a medium of exchange.  Known as Manillas, they were traded on the West African coast for slaves.

A slave shakle made of wrought iron and used on slave ships to confine enslaved Africans on the lower deck.

Double transportation slave collars used in the late 1700s.  They were made of metal with hand forged road hooks.  Both collars are in a closed position with a 12 inch iron rod linking them.  Primarily used when transporting enslaved Africans to auction houses or to an awaiting slave ship.

Crab style runaway collar that was made of wrought iron.  This collar was used on plantations in the deep south of the United States as a device to track runaway slaves if they escaped from a plantation.  A few enclosed stones made a rattling noise when in motion.