Nassau Public Library

The Nassau Public Library and Museum is the largest and oldest of the Bahamas' five libraries. In 1837, the Bahamas Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge merged with a reading society to become the library. With the passage of the Nassau Public Library Act in 1847, the Nassau Public Library became a legal entity. It is one of the Commonwealth Caribbean's oldest public libraries.

The Nassau Public Library is an octagonal-shaped structure that borders Shirley Street at the southern end of Parliament Square. It was built as a jail in 1797 and was the first structure to be built in Parliament Square. It was turned into a library, reading room, and museum in 1879. Books, charts, Arawak items, and a collection of historic prints, colonial records, and newspapers are currently stored in the small prison cells that originally housed inmates.

You don't have to be a bibliophile to enjoy the Nassau Public Library! This octagonal tower, which may be seen at the southern end of Parliament Square, has a fascinating past. It was built in 1797 and initially operated as a prison and a poor workhouse. It was turned into a library with a reading room and a museum about a century later, in the 1870s. It is now open every day except Sunday and is free to visit.

Fun Fact: You might be allowed to visit the eerie dungeon beneath the building if you ask the librarian gently. There's lots of evidence that the structure was formerly a prison even on the higher floors.

Location: 3MG5+JQ5, Shirley St, Nassau, Bahamas