Antigua, WI

The island of Antigua was explored by Christopher Columbus in 1493 and named for the Church of Santa Maria La Antigua.  Antigua was colonized by Britain  in 1632 and has a rich past as a naval outpost of the Royal Crown.

During the morning we chose a tour to experience locals living close to the earth.  Our first stop was at the Smith Estate which in colonial times was a thriving 800 acre sugar cane plantation.  Forty years ago, sugar cane became uneconomical to produce and tourism took its place. The green fields above are now used to graze cattle and sheep.

We met Mrs. Hall, our host for the morning, at the door.  The home was quite modest by American standards, but luxurious for the Caribbean.  In its day, this was the plantation owner's house.  

Inside the house we found a plethora of collectibles and memorabilia accumulated by the family over the 50-plus years they have lived here.

Jan commented, "Boy, I sure wouldn't want to dust all of this stuff!"

The home's rooms were large, well maintained and fully packed.   It reminded me of an antique shop.

Next we visited Claremont Pineapple Farm.  Mr. Thomas Mason, working with George Weaver of the local extension office developed the techniques for commercially growing Antigua Black Pineapple.  

The black pineapple was first brought to the island from South America by the Arawak people.  Today there is only enough production for local consumption with most being sold to local hotels and resorts.

Smaller than the pineapples we find in the USA (about 1/3 the size), they are also sweeter and contain less pulp.

We continued our journey around Antigua and stopped at Cedar's Pottery to meet Michael Hunte.  He and his wife Imogen are accomplished potters and sculptures.  Here we toured his production shop.

Here are a couple of original pieces in his gallery.

After lunch we visited Shirley Heights, which in the 17th and 18th century was home to a British lookout and gun battery.  On a cliff 490 feet above English Harbor, it served as a signal station for the forts located below at the harbor's entrance. The signer/songwriter Eric Clapton owns a large home (well camouflaged) on top of the finger of land extending into the harbor where Jan is looking (about where the "fingernail" would be.)

Then we came down to the harbor area to explore Nelson's Dockyard.  The Royal Navy established the facility in 1728 so it could repair its ships in the "new world" without having to send them across the Atlantic to England.  This facility gave the British a strategic advantage over the French and Spanish who also wanted to colonize the region.

The dockyard was abandoned in 1889 and allowed to deteriorate.  Only recently has an attempt been made to salvage and preserve this piece of British colonial history.

Nautical Term of the Day -- Pipe Down

This means "stop talking and be quiet."  The "pipe down" was the last signal from the bosun's pipe each day, which meant "lights out" and "silence."