Pelican Island was a small uninhabited island that once existed off the west coast of

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...

and Fontabelle, in St. Michael, Barbados.

History

According to historical record, the island received its name from

brown pelican The brown pelican (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') is a bird of the pelican family, Pelecanidae, one of three species found in the Americas and one of two that feed by diving into water. It is found on the Atlantic Coast from New Jersey to the mout ...

s (''Pelecanus occidentalis'') 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 sick crew and passengers from ships, in order to prevent spread of infectious diseases to the mainland. There were housing facilities for patients, a

morgue A morgue or mortuary (in a hospital or elsewhere) is a place used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification (ID), removal for autopsy, respectful burial, cremation or other methods of disposal. In modern times, corpses have cu ...

, a caretaker's quarters and a laundry area equipped with a

cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot ( kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in religion, mythology, and ...

for boiling clothes for sterilisation. Over the five years of 1956 to 1961, a southwest section of the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

between the island and

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

was reclaimed and filled in during the building of the Bridgetown Port, and now Pelican Island has become incorporated into the mainland in the Bridgetown

Deep Water Harbour The Port of Bridgetown (officially the Deep Water Harbour), (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI, Port Callsign: 8PB) is a seaport in Bridgetown on the southwest coast of Barbados. Situated at the North-Western end of Carlisle Bay, the harbour handles all of t ...

complex.

Tourist attraction

There is now a tourist attraction called ''The Pelican Village'' ("Pelican Crafts Centre") in the area, at the port, as a tribute to the separate island that once existed there.Pelican Village
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References

Uninhabited islands of Barbados Saint Michael, Barbados Bridgetown Former islands {{Barbados-geo-stub

History

Tourist attraction

See also

References