Five Star Island

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Five Star Island is a privately owned, 2.11-acre island in Little Sound, Bermuda, on the north coast in Southampton Parish.

History
The island was owned by the Wilson family from the 1600s to the 1800s and was known as Wilson’s Island. How the Wilsons lost it is debated. Some say Joseph Wilson lent the island as collateral for a loan to buy potato slips, agreeing to repay with ten barrels of potatoes. A potato blight ruined the harvest, so he could not repay, and the deeds were not returned. Others say the island was legally sold in the 19th century to Jane Soltan, an American, and then changed hands several times to Charles Cooper, Morris Gibbons, Alfred Leman, and finally Curt Engelhorn, a German billionaire who donated to Bermuda’s colleges and science stations.

The Wilson family dispute focuses on whether the sale was real or just an informal transfer. They point to no written contract or court record supporting a sale. They also mention a group called the “40 Thieves,” said to have helped or benefited from the loss of the island.

In 2012, Caroline Engelhorn filed an application with Bermuda’s government to acquire Five Star Island under local land laws.