Barbadian-Liberian community · Historical archivePhoto: TABHI ArchiveThe community the 1865 emigrants founded — named Crozierville — became one of Liberia's most significant settlements. Three Liberian heads of state traced their lineage to Barbados: two elected presidents (Arthur Barclay and Edwin Barclay) and Charles Gyude Bryant, who served as Chairman of the National Transitional Government and Head of State following the country's second civil war. In May 2025, Presidents Boakai and Mason convened at Crozierville to mark the 160th anniversary and formally acknowledge the Barbadian contribution to Liberian nationhood.
All diplomatic milestones →Liberia was founded in 1822 under the auspices of the American Colonization Society and declared its independence on 26 July 1847 — the first sovereign Black republic in Africa. The 347 Barbadians who arrived on the brig CORA on 10 May 1865 disembarked into a state that was eighteen years old. President Daniel Bashiel Warner, the third President of the Republic, had issued the formal invitation that brought them.
Of the 347 emigrants, 260 settled at Crozierville on the St. Paul River — named in honour of the wealthy Barbadian Crozer brothers who had supported the emigration.
The settlers built Christ Episcopal Church — named for Christ Church parish in Barbados from which many had come — opened schools, and within a single generation moved into Liberian government, law, education, and the press. Three of their descendants would lead the nation as heads of state: Arthur Barclay (15th President, 1904–1912) and Edwin Barclay (18th President, 1930–1944) by election, and Charles Gyude Bryant by selection as Chairman of the National Transitional Government and Head of State (2003–2006) following the country's second civil war.
The church remains in active use today. Its congregation includes the descendants of the original Barbadian settlers, members of the wider Crozierville community, and pilgrims who travel from Barbados, the United States, and the United Kingdom to worship in the building their families built.
Three Liberian heads of state were of Barbadian descent. This is not a footnote. It is the centre of the story.TABHI · Heritage Diplomacy Programme
Liberia covers approximately 43,000 square miles — some 259 times the area of Barbados — and is home to roughly 5.4 million people. Monrovia, named for U.S. President James Monroe, is the capital and chief port. The country was governed continuously by the True Whig Party from 1878 until the 1980 coup, endured two civil wars between 1989 and 2003, and has held competitive multi-party elections since the 2005 victory of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa's first elected female head of state. President Joseph Boakai, inaugurated in January 2024, has placed the bilateral relationship with Barbados at the centre of Liberia's heritage and South–South diplomacy.
Conferred the Knight Grand Band of the Humane Order of African Redemption — Liberia's highest state honour — upon Ambassador Witherspoon in 2024. Appointed him Special Envoy for Cultural and Heritage Diplomacy in 2025.
The spiritual home of the Barbadian settlers in Liberia. Restoration efforts have been supported by TABHI under the leadership of Ambassador Witherspoon and other citizens of Crozierville.
Custodian of Liberian arrival, settlement, and civic records relating to the 1865 emigrants and the founding of Crozierville.
Unveiled by Presidents Boakai and Mason on 10 May 2025. Donated by TABHI in honour of three Liberian heads of state of Barbadian descent — Presidents Arthur Barclay and Edwin Barclay, and Chairman / Head of State Charles Gyude Bryant — and the original Barbadian settlers whose legacy shaped Crozierville.
The Crozierville Presidential Monument carries individual plaques for each of the three Liberian heads of state of Barbadian descent, unveiled jointly on 10 May 2025 by President Joseph Boakai of Liberia and President Sandra Mason of Barbados. Two of the plaques are shown below.
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