# @deeringestate on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/Db1esKzoEFO
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/68894890-deeringestate-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/80e8257a95.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-08-10T12:00:02.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Deering Estate (@DeeringEstate) — https://gondola.cc/DeeringEstate

## Caption

This #MuseumMonday, we are taking a moment to spotlight a crew member of John Kunkel Small’s 1917 botanical expedition, Laban Bethel.

Small identified Laban Bethel as a Bahamian crew member and cook aboard Charles Deering’s boat, the "Barbee", during the 1917 botanical expedition to Lake Okeechobee. Small listed Bethel among a small working party that included the captain, a horticulturist, a conchologist, and Small himself, noting that all individuals performed interchangeable duties as the expedition navigated low water levels, repeated grounding incidents, improvised ballast adjustments, and canal locks in varying states of functionality. Bethel was present during the transit through the North New River Canal, the entry into Lake Okeechobee, the handling of the boat over sandbars, and the extended efforts required to maneuver through shallow channels and peat‑based terrain. The picture above shows some of the expedition crew members, including Bethel. From left to right: Paul Matthaus, Victor Soar, Laban Bethel, and Charles Torrey Simpson.

On August 12, 1913, nearly 113 years ago and before Small’s later expedition, Laban Bethel married Frances Strachan at St. Andrew’s Church in the district of Exuma. The marriage register shown above lists Bethel as age 22 and Strachan as age 18, both identified as residents of Williams Town, with the document providing the formal record of their union.

To learn more, visit the Historic Richmond Cottage Scholar Room at the Deering Estate, open daily from 10 AM to 4 PM.

We are proud to be a Blue Star Museum. Active military personnel and their families can visit Deering Estate for free through September 7 (Labor Day). We appreciate your service and look forward to hosting you.

#ArtsAtDeering #MuseumMonday #DeeringEstate

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## Tags

museummonday, deeringestate, artsatdeering

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