Barbados is celebrating February as Black History Month by exploring the African heritage offered on the island. From plantation houses to freedom statues, the island has preserved its history perhaps better than any other Caribbean island. The Rock Hall Freedom Village is the first black freehold village developed after Emancipation following a bequest of 85 pounds sterling by Reynold Alleyne Elcock, a white planter, to each of his slaves. In 1840, these slaves bought plots in this area with the funds they had inherited and named it Rock Hall Village, after the original plantation, Rock Hall.
The Newton Slave Burial Ground is the only known excavated communal slave burial ground in the Western Hemisphere situated on the site of a plantation establishment where enslaved persons would have been born, lived, worked, died and buried during the 16th, 17th and early 19th century.
Over 300 years old, and the only plantation house in Barbados with all of its rooms open for viewing, Sunbury Plantation House displays the grand style of life on a successful sugar plantation and is furnished with a superior collection of antiques. With old prints, clothing, domestic and agricultural equipment and implements, and a collection of horse-drawn carriages, it gives a complete picture of everyday plantation life in the 18th and 19th centuries. For more information, visit www.barbadosgreathouse.com.
The Barbados Museum is housed in a 19th century military prison building (one of only 12 constructed anywhere in the British Empire and unique to the region,). Its Connections and Continuities exhibit honors African heritage, from man's first footsteps on earth to a glimpse of modern urban centers, the gallery illuminates the diversity of the African continent and its legacy in the creation of Caribbean society. Other exhibits include natural history; early Amerindian inhabitants; military, town and country life; a partial interior of an 18th century plantation house, and rare historical maps. For more information, visit www.barbmuse.org.bb.
To facilitate communication in the days before telephones, signal station sites were chosen for their long, clear views of other hilltop stations. Like the others, Gun Hill therefore commands a panoramic view of the landscape below. Built in 1818, it has been restored by the Barbados National Trust and houses a collection of military memorabilia. Internal security was the overarching purpose of the stations. They not only provided a way of communicating in emergencies, but were also used as rallying points in the event of civil disorder such as the slave rebellion of 1816 which must have been a terrifying reminder to colonists, and planters in particular, that they were grossly outnumbered by slaves. It is quite likely that this event motivated the construction of signal stations. The stations also proved useful to announce the approach of ships. For more information, visit www.funbarbados.com.
The Bussa Emancipation Statue commemorates Bussa, the leader of one of the first slave revolts of Barbados in 1816. The revolt pitted imprisoned slaves against the bigots and plantation owners of Barbados. Just east of Bridgetown, the Emancipation Statue is the work of Barbados' best known sculptor Karl Broodhagen and symbolizes the breaking of the chains of slavery at Emancipation.
The Arlington House is typical of the style that Barbadian settlers carried to Charleston S.C.. This restored 18th century merchant's house is now a museum that tells stories of sugar, seafaring and trade. Located in Speightstown, St. Peter, this museum features the interactive story of Barbados, and its rich heritage. Arlington House was also previously the home of the Skinner merchant family for two hundred years. The Skinners owned their own Jetty -- "Skinner's Jetty" which was a stone's throw away. They operated a Ships Chandlery from the ground floor, signifying the important and busy trading status of Speightstown in the former age of sail. For more information, visit www.arlingtonbarbados.com. For general destination information, call 800-221-9831 or visit www.visitbarbados.org.
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