Its resourceful residents made their way in the world as skilled shipbuilders and farmers. While the island itself has little arable soil, Harbour Islanders were given land to farm on the "mainland" (Eleuthera) in 1783. Much of the original grant is still being tilled by Brilanders today.

From the 18th Century until World War II, ships built on Harbour Island plied the seas of the world. Brilanders built everything from dinghies to swift three-masted schooners. In 1922 they built the largest ship ever completed in the Bahamas, the four-masted "Marie J. Thompson."

By the late 1800's, Dunmore Town also became a noted sugar refinement center. That skill in sugar refinement gave Brilanders an important second industry — rum. With the advent of Prohibition, Harbour Island became very important indeed.

By the 19th Century, the island's main settlement, "Dunmore Town," was the Bahamas second city, exceeded only by Nassau in population and wealth. Today, Harbour Island is a sleepy community of 2,000 people. Fishing and farming occupy the time of some of the residents, while others are employed in tourism, domestically or by the government. The pace of of the island is a natural for passing the afternoon on a front porch, or walking the lovely pink sand beaches, or chatting with a neighbor over the fence.

In Dunmore Town you will find that the island's solid popularity is founded on its spectacular three-mile pink sand beach, its intimate resorts, and the warm Briland hospitality. All housed in the quaint New England architecture of the island's Loyalist history. This is a town made for days strolling on the beach, walking along the harbor, or exploring the island by bicycle.