The Queen of the Caribbees Sugar was king on the Caribbean island of Nevis, and the plantation owners lived like royalty. Now, the author uses a metal detector to explore an era lost in time. By Michael Chaplan
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ooking over the small collection of relics and old resort in the Caribbean. Built in 1778 as a thermal spa, it bottles in the museum at Hamilton House, the birthplace was the Club Med of its time, attracting the fashionable of Alexander Hamilton in 1757 on the Caribbean island colonial elite to indulge in curative mineral baths and soof Nevis, it was clear that a concerted effort was being cialize. There were also some old British fortifications scatmade by the Nevis Historical Society to revive the island’s tered around the island and, most alluringly, the countryside was dotted with stately old sugar plantation ruins. The colonial era past. There was also a fraying old book that had whole project seemed an exciting change in direction from drawings of early plantation life, showing the planting and my usual digs as an urban treasure hunter in New York City. harvesting of sugar cane. Nevis is a small volcanic island with a population of While speaking to the museum curator and librarian, 12,000 people. A former British colony founded in 1628, it a husband and wife Peace Corps historian team, I learned was a prosperous “sugar island” and known as the “Queen they originally came to Nevis to catalog old courthouse of the Caribbees” during the 1700s. There are still many documents to create an accurate record of early colonial remnants of that bygone era. life. They also aspired to help the people on this remote After arriving for a two week treasure hunting expeisland develop an interest in their history. The museum at dition, I was quite impressed with Hamilton House and the historiCharlestown’s (the capital) assortcal society became logical add-on ment of still-in-use old governprojects to accomplish that goal. ment buildings. This 19th century I mentioned my treasure hunting architecture set the stage for my quest and they encouraged me to twilight zone voyage back to when search around Bath House and warehouses filled with hogsheads the deserted old plantations, since they were on public land. of brown muscovado sugar lined the waterfront, waiting to be taken The next morning I set off to to Europe by three-masted sailing Bath House by walking through ships. Sugar was the most valuable Charlestown, following the curvThe Hamilton House, birthplace trade commodity at that time. ing shoreline of Gallows Bay. It My pre-trip research revealed of Alexander Hamilton in 1757, now was a good way to see the sights some intriguing hunting sites, in- serves as a museum. At top of page: and I noticed that most of the doors cluding the ruins of the Bath House all that remains of the once-majestic and window shutters were painted great house at Coconut Walk. Hotel, which was the first luxury blue. I later learned that this was to 38 American Digger Magazine
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Vol. 8, Issue 2
2012 American Digger Magazine Sampler ®
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