THE LOGO OF

THE W.I. FEDERAL ARCHIVES CENTRE

The Federal Flag: The symbol of the regional unity of the West Indies Federation.

The Sugar Mill: The shared historical, social experience and economic reality of all ten member states.

The Sea: The Caribbean Sea, the waters that divide and unite…

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The West Indies Federal Archives Centre of the Cave Hill Campus was officially opened on 25 October 2004 by then Prime Minister of Barbados, The Right Honourable Owen Seymour Arthur and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Sir Hilary Beckles.  The Centre is the official repository of the records of the West Indies Federation (1958-1962), now referred to as the Federal Archives. The transfer of the Federal Archives was negotiated after the demise of the West Indies Federation in the year 1962. The fonds (body of records in its entirety) was housed at the Barbados Department of Archives for safe-keeping until The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and the Barbados Government made provisions for a modern archival repository to house the records.

The Federal Archives compose of administrative files, original agreements, oath books, ledgers, registers, drawings, architectural plans, newspaper clippings, press releases, savingrams, reports, records of judgments, statistical data, and card indexes as well as reel-to-reel magnetic tapes, black-and-white photographs and artifacts in the form of metal seals, original flags, coat of arms and plaques.