M&MCruisin Posted December 28, 2009 #151 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Hi everyone, Found this site after stumbling on the graves yesterday during my cruise on the Crown Princess (12/19-12/16 '09). I decided to take a walk on the beach past the basketball and volleyball courts, and sure enough, found two graves. I walked back to the resort area and asked a couple of vendors if they knew anything about the graves, and eventually found one person who said that they were slave graves, and more could be found in the area. I went back to the graves with some friends and then passed them, searching for more. Unfortunately, it was raining heavily making it pretty miserable to trek. About 10 or 15 minutes after passing the graves, we found a building marked "Cable Landing" (very faded), which we later learned from the same person was a communications building used by the US Marines, and more graves are apparently located behind it (which we didn't see due to the thick vegetation surrounding the building). Since it was raining really hard, I was only able to reach my camera in the doorway and snap some pictures and quickly put it back in my backpack without looking at them. When I looked at them later, it turned out the building was empty, although there was a ladder going below the building inside to a basement...hopefully someone on this board could check it out further. Wow...that is interesting! Thanks for the information. Im too much of a chicken to go in the basement of the building! There were a few pictures at the begining of the thread that had parts of a building, I wonder if its the same one or different. How far was the building past the graves? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan-L Posted December 28, 2009 #152 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We went to the graves a few years ago. My husband is the one who put the big heart rock and a few smalls one on and next to the grave..glad to see they are still there. We always look for heart rocks where ever we go and collect them, couldn't believe he found that onel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDR92 Posted December 29, 2009 #153 Share Posted December 29, 2009 How far was the building past the graves? Probably 10 or 15 minutes? You can make a round trip journey in a little more than 30 minutes I'd guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDR92 Posted December 30, 2009 #154 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Some photos for you guys: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crotchityoldman Posted January 6, 2010 #155 Share Posted January 6, 2010 The history of this island is interesting! My wife and I will be their in 5 weeks on the Ruby. I am bringing my new Mine lab metal detector along with me on the cruise. I contacted Princes about bringing the detector on the ship and they said no problem. I would be interested in using it in areas around old foundations on the island. No telling what I may find!. With all the reports regarding ship wrecks off the island I may even find a old coin or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted February 4, 2010 #156 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Hi everyone, We were on the Crowne Princess week of January 9. I visited the graves on Princess Cays and shot a little video. Here is the link... Thanks, Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted February 4, 2010 #157 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Hi everyone, We were on the Crowne Princess week of January 9. I visited the graves on Princess Cays and shot a little video. Here is the link... Thanks, Larry Very nice, thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clutterlady Posted February 4, 2010 #158 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Awsome...thank you:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belease Posted February 5, 2010 #159 Share Posted February 5, 2010 What an amazing thread! Thanks everyone for posting. And I wonder if anyone will be brave enough to check out that basement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friedshrimp Posted February 5, 2010 #160 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I'll assume the only part where shoes are really needed for this walk is for going over the rocky parts. Is the rest of the walk on the beach doable bare footed or are there rocks all over the place so shoes are needed for the entire trip?? I'll be doing this trek in Jul 2010 on the Emerald. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Assateague Island Princes Posted February 5, 2010 #161 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Wow! What a beautiful resting place for those souls! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing55 Posted February 9, 2010 #162 Share Posted February 9, 2010 (edited) I'll assume the only part where shoes are really needed for this walk is for going over the rocky parts. Is the rest of the walk on the beach doable bare footed or are there rocks all over the place so shoes are needed for the entire trip?? I'll be doing this trek in Jul 2010 on the Emerald. I just had on "water" shoes and it was fine. If you know where you are going, walking the road/path is really easy. Not as pretty since the vegetation blocks a lot of the views. I was there in Mid jan. I thought it was unique enough to make the small treck. Edited February 9, 2010 by Redwing55 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystiki Posted February 9, 2010 #163 Share Posted February 9, 2010 Wow I wish I explored a little more when I was recently there. So interesting!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obendus Posted May 2, 2010 #164 Share Posted May 2, 2010 Hi everyone,We were on the Crowne Princess week of January 9. I visited the graves on Princess Cays and shot a little video. Here is the link... Thanks, Larry Thank you Larry for posting, and to all of the others that have made this thread fascinating. Thorougly appropriate to discover and pay respect while visiting. Top of the list for a return to Princess Cays. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friedshrimp Posted September 18, 2010 #165 Share Posted September 18, 2010 It's not a far walk up the beach (hang a right when you get off the tender, go over the little bridge and go about 1/4 mile). When you get to the rocky area on the beach you can cut up to the dirt road that's next to the beach....easier than picking your way around the rocks (IMO). Yes, they do have a beautiful resting area and this is something you don't get to see on every cruise....I'm glad we took the time to go and pay our respects...it was a beautiful, peaceful walk with my wife. Oh, and whoever "B + J" are....your heart is still on the beach as of July 2010 (Emerald Princess cruise). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rajones007 Posted September 18, 2010 #166 Share Posted September 18, 2010 (edited) Well this is a very interesting thread. I'm glad it keeps getting bumped. I'm an avid genealogist (amateur, to be honest) and volunteer at my local Genealogical Society which is a branch of the much larger Ontario Genealogical Society. I spend some time every summer looking for old abandoned cemeteries throughout central and eastern Ontario. You'd be amazed at how many I've found that have been long forgotten, even by the local townships and counties. No records survive, so we gather as much as we can and notify the provincial authourities to get it registered in the archives. I'll gather old maps and documents, some with clues on the possible whereabouts of cemeteries and some without. Then I try to match them to the known geography with the area. Then I set out with my brother spending the better part of the daylight hours just searching both by vehicle and by foot. As morbid as it sounds it is quite a nice feeling to find a cemetery that was completely lost and forgotten for a couple hundred years. We then give it a quick clean up as best as we can, and notify the Genealogical Society. They have professional researchers who dig up as much as they can (not literally) on the people and the cemetery itself and put it in the records and archives for perpetuity. Also, the society has a long list of people who have hit a brick wall during their genealogical research, and if there's a chance that any 'new' cemeteries can help them out - we let them know. We always try to get permission to go on private property but sometimes it just isn't possible. Many times we've faced a farmer who wasn't too happy to see us wandering around. I always feel badly, but it's amazing how helpful people are when I show them my OGS card and explain my mission. Especially the old timers. They'll jump at the opportunity to tell me what they know of the area. One old fella took me to an old foundation on his property and stacked neatly inside was about 30 or 40 headstones. They were, for the most part, his ancestors. Typically after a few generations had passed the descendants would need the land back, so they'd pull the markers up and re-work the land. "Grandpa would understand" is what we're often told. That has happened more times than I can remember. It's just the way it was done. Oops. That was long. Anyways...I'm speaking out of my hat here, so take it for what it's worth. Looking at the photos of the two gravesites I'd hazard a guess and say that they wouldn't be slaves. To have a grave like that, and a headstone (although inscribed very poorly to begin with) would tell me their family had money. There are literally hundreds of thousands of unmarked graves in Ontario alone (likely more) simply because the family did not have the money for a proper plot and headstone. For these people to have a proper burial site, protected from the high water table, with a formed headstone, tells me that somebody paid for that. And even back in the early part of the 20th century, on a remote island, having a proper burial was a luxury not afforded by the poor. But I'm not familiar with the Bahamas. I'm just throwing my thoughts out there, that's all. Edited September 18, 2010 by rajones007 grammar...and spelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbo70 Posted September 18, 2010 #167 Share Posted September 18, 2010 I can't wait to check this out the end of March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorCalifs Posted September 18, 2010 #168 Share Posted September 18, 2010 We'll be in PC in about 6 weeks. Will definately have to check this out...very interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friedshrimp Posted September 19, 2010 #169 Share Posted September 19, 2010 Just remember to wear water shoes. We did not and found the path that we needed to take (because of too many rocks on the beach) has cuckleberries that hurt like hell when you step on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micro yaya Posted September 19, 2010 #170 Share Posted September 19, 2010 i loved this thread, so interesting, i could not stop reading. we live off of once was a country road, now built up there were these two graves of the road for many years, and we always wondered, then my son in law found a grave on some property he had purchased...........seems that all of this land was once a very large plantation and there graves with headstones were slave graves( very mush loved head house slaves) thus the headstones.........can't wait to go to princess cay on october 24 on the grand.........guess what i'm going to be doing lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrivesLikeMario Posted September 19, 2010 #171 Share Posted September 19, 2010 ...Anyways...I'm speaking out of my hat here, so take it for what it's worth. Looking at the photos of the two gravesites I'd hazard a guess and say that they wouldn't be slaves. To have a grave like that, and a headstone (although inscribed very poorly to begin with) would tell me their family had money. There are literally hundreds of thousands of unmarked graves in Ontario alone (likely more) simply because the family did not have the money for a proper plot and headstone. For these people to have a proper burial site, protected from the high water table, with a formed headstone, tells me that somebody paid for that. And even back in the early part of the 20th century, on a remote island, having a proper burial was a luxury not afforded by the poor. But I'm not familiar with the Bahamas. I'm just throwing my thoughts out there, that's all. That sounds pretty accurate to me and I'm even more of an amateur genealogist than you are! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amapola Posted September 19, 2010 #172 Share Posted September 19, 2010 Oops. That was long. Actually, I thought it was fascinating! But then I'm one who can't pass up a cemetery. Thanks for sharing your work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumbo70 Posted October 4, 2010 #173 Share Posted October 4, 2010 Can't wait to see this in March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingallover Posted October 4, 2010 #174 Share Posted October 4, 2010 read this on CC before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingallover Posted October 4, 2010 #175 Share Posted October 4, 2010 of course I read this thread as it is almost 5 years old :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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