March 2021 Newsletter
Message from the Executive Director
It was wonderful to see so many faces (with masks) at this year’s February 13th Plant & Bake Sale as we all are trying to find ways to adapt to the ‘new normal’ during the pandemic. We are pleased to share that we had very strong attendance and surpassed our fundraising goal. Thanks to everyone who came out to Waterville to support the event, and to our volunteers and staff.  We were grateful for the generous donations of plants, baked goods, and a wide selection of fresh produce and eggs from farmers who yielded this harvest from BNT land. 
 
We are now making plans for our next annual event, the Palm Sunday Walk, generously sponsored once again by SOMPO.  Sunday, March 28th is the TENTATIVE date which we hope to finalise soon. More information will be sent out on how you can participate under the current Covid-19 protocols. Last year, as you may recall, we were not able to hold this signature community event due to shelter-in-place restrictions. This year, we have had to rethink the logistics of this annual walk with the safety of our community in mind.  As such, we will ask everyone to register online so that attendance can be tracked, and detailed individual instructions can be given. Your cooperation and understanding will help us make this event safe and enjoyable for everyone.   
Breaking Ground at Verdmont
Work at Verdmont continues steadily. Extensive trenching runs around the house and through the gardens. The property will remain an active construction site until completion of the capital improvements. Last week, we took this photo from an upstairs bedroom window. It's hard to believe anything could mar that view - even some trenching and debris!

Interested in learning more about this project? You can read our press release here or visit us online at bnt.bm.
To learn more about Verdmont, we highly recommend author Diana Chudleigh's guide book Verdmont: The story of a house, its people and its contents. To purchase, visit us at Waterville or call us at 236-6483.
Conservation Updates
Eve’s Pond
All-stars!
Since the start of the school year, we have had 5 students from Saltus Grammar School volunteer with us weekly at Eve’s Pond. They have done various jobs including tree planting, weeding, up-righting storm-felled trees and conducting bird counts amongst other tasks on site. It’s been a pleasure to work with them and we’re excited and proud of their accomplishments. It’s not all work and we're sure they find some joy in knowing their efforts are creating a special space for us all - humans, flora and fauna.
Fire at Pitman’s Pond Nature Reserve
Late on Saturday evening, February 13th, BNT's Conservation Officer received a call from the Bermuda Police informing us that arsonists had hit Pitman's Pond Nature Reserve yet again. This has been the third incident where the area has been vandalised, but this was the worst case we have had to address.

This fire badly damaged:
  • 3 Palmettos
  • 2 Cedars
  • 1 Olivewood

Even though the damage looks severe, we are hopeful the trees will all survive. That said, it's heart-wrenching to see all the hard work put into this area, mostly by volunteers, going up in flames.

Longtail Igloos
On February 16th, Conservation Officer Myles Darrell travelled out to Smith's Island to install three longtail igloos in collaboration with Erich Hetzel from the Bermuda Audubon Society. They were kindly transported by boat from the mainland by one of the island's tenants, Uwe Lipfert. It was a beautiful day filled with sunshine, and they even managed to squeeze in some birding and enjoy the peace and serenity.

"It was exciting to see Cedars wilding and less appreciated species like White stopper proliferating away from humans." - Conservation Officer, Myles Darrell.

The purchase of the longtail igloos was made possible by a generous donor.
Trust Treasures
We will continue to bring our museums to you with interesting featured stories on artefacts from our collections.
Barber’s equipment, Tucker House
On display in the kitchen at Tucker House in St. George’s is this wonderful collection of barbering equipment. It is part of an exhibition on Joseph Hayne Rainey, who was the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Much of his early life is difficult to track, but we know his parents were enslaved. His father, Edward L. Rainey, was permitted to work as a barber and keep a portion of his earnings which he used to buy his family’s freedom in the early 1840s. South Carolina barred African-Americans from attending school, so Joseph Rainey never received a formal education. Instead, he learned his father’s trade and by the 1850s he was working as a barber at the exclusive Mills House hotel in Charleston, S.C. During the U.S. Civil War, Joseph and his wife Susan escaped to Bermuda where he set up a barber’s shop in the kitchen of Tucker House. The entrance to his shop was through a side door leading to what is now known as Barber’s Alley. Today, a plaque celebrating Rainey’s time in Bermuda and his subsequent achievements is part of the African Diaspora Heritage Trail. The artefacts pictured below would have been similar to the tools that Rainey would have used as a barber.
Built Heritage: The Former Cottage Hospital
This post is part of a series of architectural articles by the Bermuda National Trust that highlight some of Bermuda's endangered historic buildings.

by Linda Abend and Margie Lloyd
Citing the steady increase in the population, the lack of accommodation for those with complicated diseases and needing surgical operations, Dr Eldon Harvey spearheaded a group of his fellow physicians and community leaders and in 1886 lobbied the Governor, Lt Gen Sir Thomas Lionel Gallwey, for a cottage hospital. At the time there only existed two Royal Navy hospitals and the so-called Lunatic Asylum in Devonshire.

Upcoming Events
Walking Tours: The Yellow Fever Conspiracy (click the date to sign up)

Walking Tours: Step Back In Time(click the date to sign up)
Volunteer Day at Sherwin Nature Reserve (Warwick Pond)
Saturday, March 13th
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Join us for a Volunteer day with BNT Conservation Officer, Myles Darrell, at the Sherwin Nature Reserve (Warwick Pond). Help remove the invasive species and replace them with native plants, spread mulch and clean up the roadside.

Please bring gloves, proper footwear, sunscreen, water bottles, and light tools (not mandatory). Following the Covid-19 protocol, volunteers must wear masks and observe social distancing.

Exciting news from Tulane School of Architecture
Dr. Brent Fortenberry joins the Tulane School of Architecture as Director of Preservation Studies
Dr. Fortenberry is a familiar face to many at the Trust. For well over 15 years, he has been doing research in Bermuda. You can often find him in St. George's with his students, mapping St. Peter's Church with laser scans or taking paint samples from the roof of Tucker House.

We look forward to welcoming Dr. Fortenberry and his Tulane graduate students back to Bermuda in December!
Baroness Andrews visits the BNT
We are grateful for the time that Baroness Andrews of Southover has spent with us over the past couple of months. Baroness Andrews, who is staying with family in Bermuda, visited Waterville on numerous occasions and has spent time with members of our Development and Education departments at our museums and nature reserves. 

Baroness Andrews was the Chair of English Heritage from 2009-2013 and remains involved with many Trust organisations in the UK today. On two occasions, she met with BNT leadership, President Alana Anderson and Executive Director Andrew Vaucrosson. We are proud to have been able to share the BNT with her!
Volunteer Spotlight: Carol Hulst
Volunteer Location: Rebecca Middleton Nature Reserve
Carol Hulst and her family have not only been volunteering at Rebecca Middleton Nature Reserve for many years now but they have adopted it and regularly maintain it. Carol has seen the reserve at its worst and its best.  She and her team of young Saltus students have saved this reserve and its inhabitants from what may have been imminent devastation by Balloon vine and other invasive species that inundated this special space.

Since Carol started coordinating volunteer days, more than 50 native and endemic species have been introduced to the reserve. The diversity of the habitats at the site provides an excellent opportunity to observe our iconic trees along with many of the smaller and equally important shrubs and ground covers. We strongly encourage people to take time to admire the on-going efforts of Carol and her team of student volunteers at Rebecca Middleton Nature Reserve in Paget.
Vote BNT For the Best of Bermuda Awards
Vote for the Bermuda National Trust for this year's Best of Bermuda Awards before it closes this Sunday, March 7th. There are various categories that the Bermuda National Trust falls under, such as best Kids Camp, best Historic Site, best Museum, Beautiful Garden and more. Please show your support by voting for us this year!

Volunteer Day Highlights from Rebecca Middleton & Sherwin Nature Reserve (Warwick Pond)
We are saddened to learn of the death of Life Members: Nea Willits & James Smith
Nea Willits
Nea was a life member, she supported the museum's committee and friends of Verdmont. She was a regular at BNT Trust Talks and was fascinated by everything related to Bermuda's heritage.
James E. Smith
James was an honorary life member and a dedicated volunteer, helping us at the Auction & Jumble Sale and being a Children's Nature Walk station guide for many years.