Paget Island is part of the chain which makes up
Bermuda
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. It is located in
St. George's Parish, in the northeast of the territory.
Namesake
The 36 acre (14.5 hectare) island is located at the northern entrance to
St. George's Harbor, east of the town of
St. George's and just to the north of the slightly larger
Smith's Island. In the past Paget and nearby Smith's Island were used as
whaling
Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution.
It was practiced as an organized industry ...
centers. Paget Island takes its name from
William Paget William Paget may refer to:
*William Paget, 1st Baron Paget (1506–1563), English statesman
* William Paget, 4th Baron Paget de Beaudesert (1572–1629), English colonist
*William Paget, 5th Baron Paget (1609–1678), English peer
*William Paget, ...
, the fourth Lord of Paget, but before that was also known as ''Pennystones''.
Fort Cunningham
The island's most prominent feature is Fort Cunningham, when the first Governor Richard Moore came in 1612 he recognized that Paget Island was the route from St. George to the Atlantic and any enemy vessel would come through here,
the first battery built as far back as 1612, expanded in 1619, major works continued in the 1700s and 1800s, it is of historical importance, but now in a state of disrepair. In 1746 due to the high number of Prisoners of War
and again during World War II it served as an
internment
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
camp for Germans and Austrians.
Visiting
The island itself is not easily accessible due to no regular ferry service. With advance permission from the Bermuda Government's Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation
campers may stay on a 20-acre campsite, but only one group at a time.
References
Islands of Bermuda
St. George's Parish, Bermuda
World War II sites in Bermuda
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