Exploring Our Past: A Look Back at the Museum’s Early Years
As we continue to celebrate and preserve Cayman’s heritage, we’re diving into our archives to revisit the early history of the Museum. Through a special blog series, we’ll be sharing articles from The Logbook, the Museum’s newsletter from the 1990s. These pieces offer a glimpse into past exhibitions, cultural programs, and community events that helped shape the Museum into what it is today.
Join us as we reflect on these stories, learn from our past, and celebrate the efforts that have kept our history alive. Journey with us through the pages of The Logbook!
Gardens And Yards Tours
The Logbook (Museum Newsletter) Vol. 2., No. 2 March/April 1998
Twenty-four people saw at first hand the cultural roots of the Islands' gardening traditions on the Museum's first bus tour held on February 7.
The seven-hour tour, led by landscape architect Professor Richard Westmacott, had been scheduled for five hours, but was extended because the participants were enjoying themselves so much.
The first three stops were in West Bay at the Pink House, the Bosun Bay cemetery to illustrate how yard keeping traditions were carried on in the graveyards, and Adelaide Hydes's house, where her granddaughter Rhonda Webster, acted as tour guide.
The group then headed off to the East End and a stop at Alan Ebanks's yard where Mr. Ebanks was on hand to chat about his yard and large variety of pets.
Then it was round to North Side and the home of Benjamin and Adelaide Ebanks. Here there was an extra treat in store for the visitors when they were offered a special picnic of heavy cakes, rum cake and homemade lemonade and limeade.
The last stop was the Botanic Park, which provided the lunchtime break, and a chance to see the recreated sand yard at the historic Rankin House.
Staff members Teddy Ebanks and Andrew Guthrie were on hand at the park to answer the visitors' questions.
Museum curator Bill Tennent described the tour as" a great success and extremely informative". Adding that the Caymanians on the bus had also been a good source of information about the yards." We stayed much longer at the yards just because everyone was enjoying it so much and Miss Adelaide's hospitality at North Side was very generous. When we got back to the Museum everyone was asking when we were going to have our next tour."
The tour was preceded on Friday February 6 by a slide presentation, incorporating photographs of gardens and yards in the States, the Cayman Islands, the UK and Africa at the George Town Town Hall.
To learn more about traditional gardens and yards, visit our Museum Gift shop and purchase a copy of Gardens, Yards, Pieces, And Grounds by Richard Westmacott.
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