St Eustatius History, Language and Culture

History of St Eustatius

Although Christopher Columbus sighted the island in 1493, St Eustatius was not settled until the 17th century as the Dutch consolidated their Caribbean empire based on Curaçao. Within 100 years, it was the most important transhipment port in the New World, visited by as many as 3,000 ships a year, up to 200 of which could be anchored at one time.

The island has changed hands 22 times since settlement, with the French, Spanish and British ever eager to wrest it from the Dutch. It was an important supply port for American settlers during the War of Independence; indeed, the Dutch administration of St Eustatius was the first state to recognise the United States of America, on 16 November 1776.