Pelican Island was a small uninhabited island that once existed off the west coast of Bridgetown, Barbados and Fontabelle, St. Michael. According to historical record, the island received its name from brown pelicans that would nest there.
To get there: One could have used one of the pair of nearby boat jetties along the Barbados shoreline, or during low-tide it was believed to have been possible to wade-out to the island as well.
The island held a quarantine facility specifically for crew and passengers from ships that were sick so as to not spread communicable / infectious diseases to the mainland. There was housing facilities for patients, a morgue, a caretakers quarters and a laundry area- equiped with a cauldron for boiling clothes for sterilisation.
Around the 1950's-1960's the Caribbean Sea between the island and Barbados have since been reclaimed and filled-in, the Pelican Island has now become incorporated into the mainland and the Bridgetown Deep Water Harbour area.
There is now a tourist attraction in the area, at the port called The Pelican Village("Pelican Crafts Centre") as a tribute to the separate island that once existed there.
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Last updated: 10-10-2005 05:06:00
