Enslaved Africans were the manpower that kept the St. George sugar plantation operating. The plantation had as many as 150 enslaved people living in 33 cottages.
Now, a museum exhibit honors the daily hardships of those enslaved people and it is located in one of those cottages restored at what is now St. George Village Botanical Gardens.
A grand opening of St. George Village Museum celebrating “2000 years of People and Plants” was held Saturday night and attended by more 60 people.
“The museum is a great addition to the Gardens and a great addition to the island,” said Susan Ladwig, vice president of the board of directors.
Of course, enslaved Africans were not the only people to occupy the site. The museum contains artifacts from as far back as the first inhabitants of the area,, the Saladoid Indians, who lived her some 2,000 years ago. Visitors following the directions to view the exhibits (little purple painted footprints on the floor) will first come upon an exhibit featuring those first settlers – Amerindians. There are depictions of Taino dwellings as well as pieces of pottery, amulets, and tools.
The next display is an expansive diorama of the estate created by George Seaman, with the case done by Dick Showalter. The work is meticulous and gives a feel for how life must have been on the estate in the early 1800s. The exhibit includes many photos as well as a short biography of one long-time enslaved African resident “Mina.”
Other exhibits include The Cattle Era; A Garden Grows and A Flourishing Future.
But what is bound to catch many visitors’ attention are some film clips taken between 1903 and 1919 that are broadcast on a TV monitor. Clips show laborers at work planting and harvesting sugar cane and taking it to the mill. The earliest film shows the laborers working with oxen under very difficult circumstances.
Ladwig said the museum was the brainchild of president of the board of directors Gary Bourdon who put much effort into making it happen.
“This museum is important because when visitors and residents know the history of Estate St. George; they know the history of St. Croix.”
The garden, located on 16 acres, is owned and operated by its members and receives no government funding.
Further information is available by visiting the garden’s website at www.sgvbg.org.
