Albert Lowe, known as “Pa” to his friends, was born in 1901 in New Plymouth, Green Turtle Cay, to Irwin and Alice Lowe. He attended school in New Plymouth but spent much of his youth helping his family on their farm at Sand Banks, near present-day Treasure Cay. Established by his great-grandparents, the farm supplied produce that was sold primarily at Norman’s Castle on the west coast of Great Abaco, as well as in New Plymouth. During periods when his father was away on sponging voyages, Albert and his family lived in New Plymouth before returning to Sand Banks.

As a young man, Albert entered the maritime trade during the peak of Abaco’s lumber industry. In his early twenties, he served aboard three-masted schooners that transported lumber from the sawmills at Norman’s Castle to Cuba and, occasionally, ports in the United States. During one such voyage, he was aboard the Arawak, which caught fire and sank after departing Jacksonville, Florida, en route to Cross Harbour, Abaco. Albert, along with the passengers and crew, was safely rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after escaping in a lifeboat.

Albert also earned his livelihood as a sponge fisherman, working on “The Muds” near Williams’ Cay, Andros. He fished aboard the schooners Edna M., owned by Capt. Augustus Roberts, and Resolve, owned by Harrison Russell.

Later, Albert purchased his own vessel, a 22-foot sloop named the J. L. Civic, one of the first sailboats built by renowned Man-O-War Cay boatbuilder William Albury. With a crew of five, he fished the sponge beds around Great Sale Cay, with each voyage lasting four to six weeks. Upon returning to Green Turtle Cay, the sponges were soaked and compressed into large sacks before being loaded onto the mailboat and shipped to Nassau for sale through the Nassau Sponge Exchange.

Albert often traveled to Nassau to sell his sponges personally. Because sponges were sold through a private tender system, fishermen sought to negotiate directly and secure the best possible prices for their catch.

When disease devastated the Bahamas' sponge beds in 1938, Albert turned to shark fishing, then Abaco's leading industry. Later, as crawfishing became more profitable in the late 1950s, he joined crews aboard vessels such as the M.V. Lindo and M.V. Stanba IV, transporting crawfish from New Plymouth to Florida.

From an early age, Albert was passionate about woodcarving. During his years at sea, he crafted model sponging boats and schooners, steadily refining his skills and creating increasingly detailed and larger works. Renowned for his craftsmanship, he produced a wide variety of sailing ship models entirely from memory, without blueprints. The museum's largest fully rigged and functional ship model is his masterpiece. In 1966, Prince Philip praised one of Albert's models displayed in Nassau during Queen Elizabeth II's official visit. An accomplished carpenter as well, Albert also built several traditional Bahamian dinghies.

Albert was married to Annie Curry in 1929 and their marriage produced three sons and one daughter. The second son Alton, is the founder of this Museum and he gained fame as the Bahamas' most outstanding artist. Albert played an important role in the establishment of the Museum, giving encouragement and devoting much of his time to restoring the house and preparing his models for exhibit. It is fitting that the Museum is named in his honour. Albert was a soft spoken, gentle and patient man.