It is now 270 years since the first President of the United States George Washington visited Barbados as a teenager and spent two weeks at the house on Bush Hill, Garrison which has since become known as George Washington House.
The American Women’s Club is celebrating the 270th anniversary of that early Barbados “Staycation” by Washington and his 27-year-old ailing brother Lawrence who both arrived in Barbados on November 2, 1751 and stayed at the historic house which was later acquired by the Government of Barbados and restored in 2001 by the Barbados National Trust.
The Club hosted a special meeting at the Main Guard, Garrison today, just a stone’s throw away from George Washington House which is currently undergoing renovations to accommodate visitors during the 2021/22 tourism season.
The spotlight was on Washington’s visit and the historic ties forged between Barbados and the United States dating back almost three centuries ago.
Period costumes by heraldic artist Ann Rudder, representing the dress worn by two distinguished “women of colour” of the day, as well as historic data related to Washington and the US/Barbados connection were on display.
The meeting, chaired by club president Nalda Wilkinson, featured an extensive presentation by film producer/director and a former director of the Barbados National Trust, Penelope Hynam, on her award-winning 2007 docudrama “George Washington in Barbados”. (GC)
