March 29th, 2016 -- Zealous volunteers led by former resident and industrial archaeologist, David Rollinson from Canada, are helping “dig” out history at the first public archaeology dig that commenced on Monday, March 28th, 2016 at the New River Estate, Gingerland.
The volunteers will participate in excavation, artifact conservation and site recording during the week-long project(March 28th to April 1). Fenella Jeffers, a returning national who left Nevis at the age of six said she is participating in the public dig in search of her history, “ I am interested in my history and I want to know my family history. I am digging not just for me but also for my family.”
“This archeology work is new to me,” she further said and added, “I have always been interested in archeology but I never got to doing anything. I thought this was an opportunity to try and learn something. I we do not know our history, we do not know ourselves.”
Rollinson appreciated the ongoing restoration of New River ruins. New River, the last functioning sugar plantation on Nevis, dates back to the 1700s. “I thought it would help the project if we do some archeology and expand knowledge of the site,” Rollingson explained.
According to information made available by the Nevis Island Administration(NIA) and the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society(NHCS), the estate will become a live-in museum in which visitors will be given an opportunity to see what happened on the estate many years ago.
The estate will be an interpretation centre where visitors can find historical information about the operations at the New River Estate. A monument will be erected where names of enslaved Africans who worked at the estate will be inscripted. Crops grown by the ancestors such as cotton, sugar cane and cassava will be grown.
“I have always been interested in Nevis history. Nevis is full of history. The most interesting aspect of New River is its location. I do not know any other estate in the Caribbean that has as many benefits as New River. It has tremendous potential as a tourist attraction,” he said.
The Nevis Island Administration and the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS) will be opening a visitor’s center at New River and provide information for visitors about the site and sugar production on the island.
Any artifacts recovered will become the property of the NHCS to be used in historic displays at the visitors’ center.
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