Twin Sugar Mills At Bettys Hope

The history of Antigua's indigenous people dates back to around 2400 B.C., with the first settlements of the Siboney, which means"stone people" in the Arawak language. These Meso-Indians were excellent craftsmen, creating beautiful shell jewelry and stone tools. Such artifacts of these ancient people have been found around the island. Following the Siboney, the Arawak made their appearance on Antigua and inhabited the island from 35 A.D. to 1100 A.D. The Arawak people introduced farming to the islands of Antigua and Barbuda and planted crops such as pineapples, peppers, corn, sweet potatoes, guava, cotton, and tobacco. The Arawak mostly lived on the northern and eastern parts of Antigua, close to the reefs where fishing was good, but they were forced out of their homes by the destructive Carib people, for whom the Caribbean region was named. Although it hasn't been proven, some speculate that the Caribs may have been cannibals who ate their enemies.

European Contact

Time period map of Antigua

The first European to spot Antigua was the famous explorer Christopher Columbus, who first laid eyes on the island in 1493. Columbus decided to name the island after Santa Maria la Antigua, who was a miracle-working saint of a European settlement, but Europeans didn't inhabit Antigua until more than a century after Columbus spotted the island. The Caribs ferociously resisted the Europeans, attempts to settle on the island. A group of Englishmen from St. Kitts were finally able to establish a settlement on the island in 1632, which paved the way for the era of sugarcane on the island.

Horatio Nelson

Senior Naval Officer of the Leeward Islands Horatio Nelson came to Antigua to enforce the Navigation Act while stationed in the Dockyard, which was started in 1725 as a base for squadron ships patrolling the West Indies maintaining England's sea power. The Navigation Act prohibited trade with the newly formed United States, on which many merchants depended. Because Nelson was the enforcer of these laws, the merchants, attitudes toward him were famously hostile. Nelson's Dockyard contains many relics of this era and is an area worth exploring to learn more about Antigua's history.

Nelsons Dockyard

The Nelson's Dockyard Marina is one of the prettiest pieces of living history in the Caribbean.
Once the naval base for the fleet, overseen by Admiral Nelson in the 18th century, the marina is now the home of some of the most impressive super yachts in the world. This busy dockyard is littered with shops, cafes and restaurants, with two fine hotels stemming back to the early days of the British involvement, The Admirals Inn and The Copper and Lumber.

The Dockyard

After the peace of 1815, the running down period commenced, so that by 1889 the station was officially closed down. Then decay of the buildings set in. In 1931, the colonial Governor took pity on this most historic site and organised funding from a Canadian insurance company to repair some of the buildings. In 1951, another Governor founded the Friends of English Harbour Society and Lady Churchill sponsored an Appeal Committee in London.

TODAY

The National Parks Authority now has full responsibility for the running and well being of the Dockyard and environs. Much funding has been forthcoming from the Canadian International Development Agency and the British Development Division. English Harbour is being operated as a successful tourist attraction and as a yacht marina. And will undoubtedly contiue building a rich and important history for the future of Antigua.