Rooted in the sea

This island holds the stories of those who built boats, caught fish, raised families, and weathered storms. Their history lives here.

Rooted in the sea

This island holds the stories of those who built boats, caught fish, raised families, and weathered storms.
Their history lives here.

Legacy

Alton Lowe

Artist and custodian of GTC's history

Alton R. Lowe is a celebrated Bahamian artist and cultural preservationist whose realist paintings beautifully document the landscapes, heritage, and island life of The Bahamas. Born in 1945 on Green Turtle Cay—a seventh-generation Abaconian descended from the original Eleutheran Adventurers—Lowe discovered his artistic calling early, studying with local mentors before training at the prestigious Frank Reilly School of Art in New York. There, he completed a rigorous four-year program in classical drawing and painting in just three years.

Returning to The Bahamas in 1966, Lowe built a prolific career marked by decades of acclaimed exhibitions and widespread recognition. His paintings have appeared on over 100 Bahamian postage stamps—including commemorative series honoring the country's history and flora—and are held in collections worldwide, from private collectors to the British Royal Family.

In 1976, driven by a desire to preserve Abaco's rich Loyalist heritage, Lowe founded the Albert Lowe Museum, restoring a historic home into a cultural landmark.

He later collaborated with sculptor James Mastin to create the Loyalist Memorial Sculpture Garden, deepening the museum's mission. Today, the museum stands as Lowe's enduring gift to his community—a space dedicated to celebrating Bahamian culture, heritage, and artistic excellence.

Settlement

1790s

Loyalists and settlers arrive on Green Turtle Cay

Families fleeing the American Revolution find refuge on these islands. They bring skills, stories, and the determination to build something that lasts. New Plymouth takes root.

Settlement

Heritage

Founding

Museum

Recovery

Settlement

1790s

Loyalists and settlers arrive on Green Turtle Cay

Families fleeing the American Revolution find refuge on these islands. They bring skills, stories, and the determination to build something that lasts. New Plymouth takes root.

Settlement

Heritage

Founding

Museum

Recovery

Settlement

1790s

Loyalists and settlers arrive on Green Turtle Cay

Families fleeing the American Revolution find refuge on these islands. They bring skills, stories, and the determination to build something that lasts. New Plymouth takes root.

Settlement

Heritage

Founding

Museum

Recovery

Legacy

Albert Lowe

Master builder and keeper of Abaco's craft

Albert Lowe is a celebrated Bahamian boat builder and self-taught painter whose handcrafted vessels and vivid oils stand as a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of Green Turtle Cay's people.

Born in 1894 in New Plymouth - a seventh-generation Abaconian descended from the original Loyalist settlers - Lowe learned his craft through generations of inherited knowledge, shaping timber into seaworthy boats without a single formal plan or blueprint.

His boat-building work kept alive a centuries-old tradition that had made Green Turtle Cay one of the finest shipbuilding communities in the Caribbean. Each vessel was built entirely by hand, a living expression of the skill, patience, and pride that defined Out Island life.

In later years, Lowe turned to painting - capturing in oil the scenes, faces, and rhythms of Bahamian life that he feared time would erase. His canvases became an irreplaceable visual archive of Abaco: its fishing culture, its working waterfront, and its close-knit community.

He was a man who preserved history not through words, but through his hands - and in doing so, left Green Turtle Cay a gift that outlasted his lifetime.

Preserving what matters

The museum's work is patient and deliberate. We document, restore, and digitize the artifacts and stories that hold Green Turtle Cay's truth for the generations ahead.

Restoration

Returning objects to their rightful place in the archive

Digitization

Making the collection accessible to all who seek it

Keep sharing our history

Do you have photographs, letters, documents, or stories from Green Turtle Cay? We want to hear from you. This archive belongs to the people who lived it.

Keep sharing our history

Do you have photographs, letters, documents, or stories from Green Turtle Cay? We want to hear from you. This archive belongs to the people who lived it.

Parliament Street, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

© 2026 Albert Lowe Museum

Parliament Street, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

© 2026 Albert Lowe Museum

Parliament Street, Green Turtle Cay, Abaco, Bahamas

© 2026 Albert Lowe Museum