BASSETERRE: The Spooner’s Cotton Ginnery in Cayon has received a facelift as part of activities marking environment month. The historic site, which once played a role in the Federation’s former cotton industry, was the focus of a cleanup exercise led by the Ministry of Environment’s Parks and Beaches Division.
Javon Alfred, Coordinator of the Parks and Beaches Division, said the work forms part of a wider national trust project aimed at preserving important historical landmarks.
“At Parks and Beaches, we do nothing but good jobs. And it’s very important for us to put our best foot forward because, it’s our culture, it’s our heritage,” Alfred said
Alfred added that preserving historic sites like the Spooner’s Ginnery helps to protect the Federation’s heritage while creating opportunities for education and tourism.
“Protecting our heritage site is our top priority because if we are to know where we are going we have to know where we coming from. So, and we could only do that with things like our heritage sites, things that show us what our past was like, and that to me is the best way forward.”
He added that the Parks and Beaches Division will continue to support efforts to preserve natural and historical assets as the country advances its sustainability goals.
“The role that parks and beaches play is very important,” Alfred said. “We keep the country clean. You know if the country is not clean that would be a damper on tourism, a damper on health and these are things that we depend on. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation.”
Established in 1901, Spooner’s Cotton Ginnery was the first ginnery on St. Kitts and closed in 1970. Brick chimneys and remnants of aged buildings can be seen peeking out from amongst overgrown vegetation. While most of these architectural ruins bear homage to St. Kitts’ once-booming sugar industry, Spooner’s Estate serves as a reminder of one of the other crops produced during St. Kitts agricultural past: cotton. Spooner’s Estate was originally a sugar cane plantation that later converted to growing cotton. For decades, the ginnery buzzed with activity, as workers harvested the fluffy plant and the factory churned out soap, cooking oil, animal feed, and of course – cotton.