Saba Colonial Records

Dutch Colonization
In the 1640s, Dutch colonists from the neighboring island of Sint Eustatius came to Saba in an effort to colonize the island for the Dutch West India Company. Many of the orginial Dutch settlers were sent to St. Maartin in the 1660s when they refused to swear allegiance to Great Britain. Saba was home to many Dutch plantations, and became a sanctuay for pirates and smugglers. The Netherlands regained control in 1816. In 2010, Saba became a special municipality of the Netherlands.