Museum Of Antigua & Barbuda — Attraction in Antigua

This building that houses the museum was erected in 1747 as the court house. The market was removed from this location in order to construct this building.

The stones used to construct this building were mine at one of the eastern offshore islands which the principal of these islands are, Pole-cat Isle, Goat’s Isle, Guana Isle, Maiden’s Isle, Cochran’s Isle, and Long Island, and it is from some of these that the smooth yellowish free-stone, of which the Court-house was built. This free-stone is proved to be composed of carbonate of lime and oxyde of iron. It’s a nine mile journey by boat into St. John harbour.

Excerpt From Antigua and the Antiguans, Volume 1 (of 2) / A full account of the colony and its inhabitants from the time of the Caribs to the present day Mrs. Lanaghan This material may be protected by copyright.

“In order to raise funds to defray the expenses of its erection, the legislature obtained a loan of £800.00, from the executors of Samuel and Thomas Watkins; and Jonas Langford (a proprietor of Antigua, and whose estates still go by his name) lent £1200.00 which debts were to be paid off by levying a tax of 2s 6d per head upon all slaves in the island for six years.”

It is ironic that long before this building houses the museum many wrongs and rights were socially exhibited with sweet and...

The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda is located in the Heart of St. John's city, Antigua, within walking distance of the St. John's Cruise Port, East & West Bu Stations and all other locations within the City and environs. The Museum itself is hosted in what use to be the Court House (historical Building) and the building itself makes no pretense of being modern and some may argue in need of a slight face-lift.

The history of Antigua from Prehistoric to recent is document in the form of literature, photos and actual artifacts. Locomotive trains from the colonial era when sugar was king, adorns the exterior along with other items from the Islands Rich Historic Past. The scale and diversity of the artifacts tend to reflect the small geographic area of the island and could be refreshed more frequently (whatever that means). 3.5 stars is a more accurate rating in my mind, perhaps that comes from experiencing other museums locally, regionally and internationally. Having said all that, The Museum of Antigua and Barbuda is a great place to visit for an historical overview of Antigua...

I'm curious to know if there is a vision or plan for the Museum of Antigua & Barbuda, as the design and presentation of artifacts and information has largely remained antiquated and unchanged since my last visit (over 7 years ago).

There is definitely an opportunity for the museum creatively curate historical facts, oral and written histories by African descendants on the harrowing treatment of our ancestors, and how that has shaped the mindset and the culture of the...