All-inclusive Guana Island in the British Virgin Islands is rich in beauty -- and history. In the 18th century, two Quaker families came here as part of what was called "the Quaker Experiment," which lasted about 45 years in the BVI. The Quakers used African slaves and grew sugarcane, and when the Quakers on Guana were recalled to America and England, they left behind two cannons that can be seen today.
The Great House on Guana is on the island's main hilltop, and archaeologists have studied it and other Quaker ruins on the island, unearthing artifacts that give insight into Guana's earlier Amerindian history. In fact, a wonderful little museum has been created on Guana not far from the Great House, which shows some of those artifacts in addition to shells and other testimony to the island's natural beauty.
When the Quakers left, the island reverted to local ownership and in 1935, Beth and Louis Bigelow of Massachusetts bought Guana from the Frett and Shirley families of Road Town, Tortola. The Bigelows spent their first year on Guana living in a tent, rowing themselves and supplies to and from Road Town. With local help, they built six stone cottages and carved out a reputation as creative pioneers. Their guests were professionals, intellectuals and world travelers, coming to an island where "there was no electricity and no hot water, but we all dressed for dinner.
"Louie and I met in the Soviet Union in the early thirties. We came to believe that there was no form of government we wanted to live under. After we married, we decided to find our own Utopia, for ourselves and our friends. We traveled the world looking for it -- and we found Guana," said Beth Bigelow in 1976. Louis Bigelow painted, and many of his watercolors still decorate the walls of the main house
Henry and Gloria Jarecki bought the island from the Bigelows in 1975, seeking their own island paradise. Their intention was to continue to improve Guana without losing its historic style and ambience, and that interest in conservation led them to establish a long-term program to protect Guana's flora and fauna and bring back once-common species.
