Beards, Washington, and Renaming Jamestown: A Few Facts about Barbados

Barbados Map

Barbados Fig Tree

Beards

Barbados is the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands and was first discovered by Europeans during Portuguese explorer Pedro a Campos's 1536 voyage to Brazil. The locale's fig trees sprout numerous ariel roots, whose dangling appearance reminded the explorers of beards and thus inspired the island's name, "Barbados" (the Bearded Ones.)

King James I

Jamestown

In 1627, the English established their first permanent settlement in Barbados. The site was originally named Jamestown to honor King James I, but was changed to Holetown because the area resembled London's Limehouse Hole district.

Lawrence Washington

Washington

Before George Washington was President or even leading forces across the Delaware, he traveled to Barbados with his half-brother, Lawrence. Lawrence was suffering from tuberculosis and hoped the Caribbean atmosphere could ease the symptoms. It was Washington's only trip away from the United States' modern borders.

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