The possible first settlers of the island were the original population of Taino, or Arawaks.
An intact wooden duho or ritual seat that was made by the Taino people was found on the island of Eleuthera in the nineteenth century and is now in the collections of the British Museum.
The island in its early history was known as Cigateo, but this name changed following subsequent European settlement.

The island is believed to have been largely unoccupied at the time of the arrival of the first significant number of British settlers, with Puritan colonists (who had come together the previous year in London) arriving in 1648 from Bermuda.
These settlers, known as the "Eleutherian Adventurers", under Captain William Sayle gave the island its current name which derives from the feminine form of the Greek adjective ἐλεύθερος, eleutheros, meaning "free".
The difficulties of settlement ultimately left only a few of the settlers on the island, thwarting their aim of creating the first European "democracy" in the Western Hemisphere (almost 130 years prior to the American Revolution).

The island was stated to have been agriculturally prosperous in the period from 1950 to 1980.
This included a large crop of pineapples for export.
When the Bahamas became independent from Britain in 1973, new ownership laws changed the nature of the island economy.
Since then the island has become a popular tourist destination.

In 1992 the island was severely damaged by the category 5 Hurricane Andrew; massive wind speeds hit the island and an 18-foot tidal surge inundated the coastal area.
Relief efforts helped mitigate some of the damage, including a number of relief tasks that were carried out by HMS Cardiff as the vessel was operating in the area.

In early March 2019, Disney Cruise Line purchased the Lighthouse Point property on the island of Eleuthera and agreed to a development plan for the area with the Bahamian government.
Disney is expected to spend between $250 million and $400 million on developing the 700 acre property, and donate 190 acres - including the southernmost tip - to the government for a national park.
The possible first settlers of the island were the original population of Taino, or Arawaks. An intact wooden duho or ritual seat that was made by the Taino people was found on the island of Eleuthera in the nineteenth century and is now in the collections of the British Museum. The island in its early history was known as Cigateo, but this name changed following subsequent European settlement.
The island is believed to have been largely unoccupied at the time of the arrival of the first significant number of British settlers, with Puritan colonists (who had come together the previous year in London) arriving in 1648 from Bermuda. These settlers, known as the "Eleutherian Adventurers", under Captain William Sayle gave the island its current name which derives from the feminine form of the Greek adjective ἐλεύθερος, eleutheros, meaning "free". The difficulties of settlement ultimately left only a few of the settlers on the island, thwarting their aim of creating the first European "democracy" in the Western Hemisphere (almost 130 years prior to the American Revolution).
The island was stated to have been agriculturally prosperous in the period from 1950 to 1980. This included a large crop of pineapples for export. When the Bahamas became independent from Britain in 1973, new ownership laws changed the nature of the island economy. Since then the island has become a popular tourist destination.
In 1992 the island was severely damaged by the category 5 Hurricane Andrew; massive wind speeds hit the island and an 18-foot tidal surge inundated the coastal area. Relief efforts helped mitigate some of the damage, including a number of relief tasks that were carried out by HMS Cardiff as the vessel was operating in the area.
In early March 2019, Disney Cruise Line purchased the Lighthouse Point property on the island of Eleuthera and agreed to a development plan for the area with the Bahamian government. Disney is expected to spend between $250 million and $400 million on developing the 700 acre property, and donate 190 acres - including the southernmost tip - to the government for a national park.
Eleuthera