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Cockburn Town

Cockburn Town
Capital city
Cockburn Town.jpg
Turks and Caicos Islands position in the North Atlantic Ocean
Turks and Caicos Islands position in the North Atlantic Ocean
Map showing Cockburn Town's position with Turks and Caicos
Map showing Cockburn Town's position with Turks and Caicos
Coordinates: 21°27′32″N 71°08′20″W / 21.459°N 71.139°W / 21.459; -71.139Coordinates: 21°27′32″N 71°08′20″W / 21.459°N 71.139°W / 21.459; -71.139
Country United Kingdom United Kingdom
Overseas territory Turks and Caicos Islands Turks and Caicos Islands
District Grand Turk
Founded 1681
Population
 • Town 3,700
Climate BSh

Cockburn Town (/ˈkbərn/ KOH-bərn) is the capital city of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Cockburn Town is located on the largest island in the Turks Islands archipelago, Grand Turk Island. Historic 18th and 19th century Bermudian architecture line Duke and Front Streets in the town. The town is known for its long, narrow streets and old street lamps.

The closest anchorage to Cockburn Town is Hawk's Nest Anchorage, which, though sheltered, should only be entered in good light because of reefs near the entrance.

The seat of government ever since 1766, Cockburn Town was the first permanent settlement on any of the islands, founded in 1681 by salt collectors who arrived in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The city supposedly lies on the place where Juan Ponce de León first landed on the island.

Cockburn Town is home to the Turks & Caicos National Museum, which is housed in the colonial-era Guinep House, on Front Street. The house is believed to be over 180 years old and much of its structural material came from local shipwrecks, including a ship's mast, which is one of the building's main supports. The site was donated to the Museum in 1990.

Among the National Museum's collections is an exhibit of shipwrecks, including the oldest known European shipwreck in the Americas, the Molasses Reef Wreck, dated 1505.

Other exhibits detail the history of the Lucayans, the Space Race, Turks and Caicos postage stamps, slavery and the history of the slave trade, the sisal and salt industries, royal events, as well as a general history of the islands. The museum also maintains a garden, which is adjacent to the Guinep House.


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