I’m late sharing this edition of the Museum Newsletter:has-newsletter-2nd-2016a
But I’m sharing it anyway because this information doesn’t expire.
I found particularly interesting some of the tidbits about how parts of the country came to be…also the market was a graveyard as recently as the 1950s? Whatever happened to sacred burial grounds?
Following are some bits and pieces from the issue and the pdf is linked above, so you can read the whole thing after being effectively teased.
Ovals had an area called Pig Village, from Dam Gutter down to Market Street. Across Market Street was a large cemetery – exactly where the market is today (Rodney to Hawkins).
Market Square as it is today with a statue of ‘Father of the Nation’ V. C. Bird Sr. Beyond the square, in the unseen background are the vegetable and craft markets. That’s the Fisheries division across the street in the background. And, as seen in the foreground, it’s a busy intersection.
It remained there until the early 1950s, when the few headstones were moved to the Methodist churchyard and the Pig Village people were moved to “Top Otto’s,” where the government built houses for them.
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In 1837 Green bay was established after emancipation when people
crowded into St. John’s.
A scene from the primary school of the still densely populated Greenbay community, 2007.
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(After the 1950 hurricane) Many people were left homeless. This resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of housing in which poor Antiguans lived. The Government of the day with encouragement of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union, took the lead
in providing better housing for the people. Otto’s New Town was a direct result of this policy. Government built low income house out of cement blocks and galvanised roofs and with improved sanitation for the people of the city, whose houses were destroyed. Similar housing developments took place across the island, in such places as Parham, Seatons, Glanvillles and Freetown to name but a few. A mass movement of people from the sugar estates to new residences in the various villages occurred, to occupy these new homes, provided by the Government at very reasonable cost.
We, at Wadadli Pen, never miss an opportunity to do a plug for one of our authors. The mention of Parham in this last section is all the prompting we need to shout out this one.
Hope you’ll check out the book, the newsletter, the Museum, and keep checking in with and supporting Wadadli Pen. Re photos, these were on my hard drive – no copyright infringement intended, no profit made.
by Joanne C. Hillhouse, not exactly a history buff…more of an enthusiast. Find me on my blog.
Wadadli Pen 