"2004 Walking Tour of St. Georges - 2nd part" Saint George Travelogue by grandmaR

At Featherbed Alley and Duke of Kent Street, is the Mitchell House built c.1731 which is an example of 18th-century Bermudian architecture. It is now the St. George's Historical Society Museum. In both 1963 and 1995 we visited this museum.

This is called the welcoming arms stairway. I was told that the walls narrow at the top to make it easier for one person to defend the house entrance. It is very photogenic, and I have pictures of it from both dates and some pictures inside of the collection of Bermudian historical artifacts and cedar furniture from the 1995 visit to the Historical Society Museum. But this time when we went it was not open.

10. Featherbed Printery Sign

The Featherbed Alley Printery was also closed in 2004 because it is the same as the Historical Society Museum. We didn't see it in 1995, because it was being renouvated, and I don't think we saw it in 1963 either. If we had been able to see it would be a working replica of the type of printing press invented by Johannes Gutenberg in Germany in the 1450s.

Go up Featherbed Alley and straight onto Church Street. At the junction with Broad Lane, look to your right to see the:

11. Old Rectory c. 1699

I walked up to the Old Rectory to take this picture. It is at the top of Broad Alley, behind St. Peter's Church. It used to be that you could go inside and tour on Wednesdays from noon to 5 pm, but that was no longer possible at the time we were there because it is rented to someone. It is a National Trust property which was built c. 1705 by a reformed pirate.

After seeing the Old Rectory, go through the church's back yard (where you will see the St. Peter's Church Thrift Shop sign) , opposite Broad Alley, to reach:

12. St. Peter's Church in 2004

You will be coming in through the graveyard. The main entrance is on Duke of York Street. The present church was built in 1713, with a tower added in 1814. There are additional pictures in a St. George travelogue

Organ inside the church

St. Peter's is believed to be the oldest Anglican place of worship in the Western Hemisphere. .In addition to the organ, there is an alter of Bermuda cedar and a lot of other woodwork also made of cedar in the church, including the stairway to where the slaves used to sit.

Headstone

In the churchyard, you'll see many headstones, some 300 years old. The assassinated governor, Sir Richard Sharples, was buried here.

This stone is for Thomas J. Stirling. It says:

13. 1995 photo of the Confederate Museum

When we were here in 1995, this was called the Confederate Museum. This picture is from that time.

When it was the Globe Hotel, this was the headquarters of Major Norman Walker, the Confederate representative in Bermuda. Bermuda gave a lot of help to the CSA during the Civil War.

Go west along Duke of York Street to

14. Barber's Alley & Petticoat Lane--Barber's Alley honors Joseph Hayne Rainey. A former slave from South Carolina, Rainey fled to Bermuda with his French wife at the outbreak of the Civil War. He became a barber in St. George and eventually returned to South Carolina, where in 1870 he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives -- the first African American to serve in Congress.
Source: Frommer's Bermuda 2004

Nearby is Petticoat Lane, also known as Silk Alley. I took a picture of Bob by the sign when we were here in 1963.

According to legend, the name dates from the 1834 emancipation. Two slave women who were freed at this time and who had always wanted silk petticoats because of the rustling sound they made. They walked up and down this lane to show off their purchases.

Continue west until you reach:

15. Tucker House

I intended to go to Tucker House, but we didn't have time. It was on the walk up from the cruise ship dock. It was the home of Bermuda President Henry Tucker who was President c 1776.

This was the former home of a prominent Bermudian family, whose members included an island governor, a treasurer of the United States, and a captain in the Confederate Navy. The building houses an excellent collection of antiques, including silver, portraits, and cedar furniture. One room is devoted to memorabilia of Joseph Hayne Rainey. Joseph Hayne Rainey was the first black member of the U.S. House of Representatives and he once rented space on this property for a barber shop. There is also a period kitchen, and an exhibit based on the archaeological excavation of the site. Open 10-4 Monday through Saturday.

Source: Frommer's Bermuda 2004

Diagonally across from the Tucker House is the Carriage House, 22 Water St., Somers Wharf (tel. 441/297-1730), a former waterfront storehouse and also where the Carriage House Museum is or was that we visited in 1995..

The end of the tour is at 16. Somers Wharf, a multimillion-dollar waterfront restoration project.