Bermuda National Trust Museum

Few Americans realize the strategic role tiny Bermuda played in the U.S. Civil War (1861–65). The Bermuda National Trust Museum (Globe Hotel, King’s Square, tel. 441/297-1423, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Mon.–Sat., $5 adults, $2 children 6–18) tells the dramatic story of blockade-runners, spies, and international subterfuge when the town was a hotbed of Southern sympathies, Union authorities, and British cotton smugglers. The four years’ war activity brought a torrent of unprecedented wealth to St. George, marking a heyday in its history. The Globe Hotel dates back to around 1700, when the island’s governor Samuel Day sparked a bitter court battle when he tried to claim it for his own; he later died in prison. The building later became the headquarters of Confederate agent Major Norman Walker, who lived here with his wife Georgiana and their three children while he masterminded the flow of guns and war supplies through Union blockades. The museum’s exhibit, Rogues & Runners, details the complex web of loyalties in Bermuda in that era and how the town became a major port for rebel Southern captains and a trans-shipment center for U.K.–bound cotton. Included in the admission is a brief film about Bermuda and St. George. The museum shop sells Bermuda books, souvenirs, and arts and crafts.