Voice of Guyana International

On 29th April, 1970 under the Municipal and District Council’s Act 1969 fifty-five (55) square miles, comprising dense jungle, small settlements, a Bauxite Complex, and over firty thousand (50,000) people, and approximately sixty (60) miles up the Demerara River was declared a Town.

Originally called Macmarburg a dimunitive for Mackenzie/Wismar/Christianburg-it was officially designated as Linden by the first Mayor Egbert Benjamin after a Community wide call for a better name for the area in February 1971.

Now twenty-five years (25) after this historic event, a young and vibrant team of Councillors faced with grave depression in the Bauxite Industry, where the greater part of wage earners in the town are either directly or indirectly connected to the Bauxite Industry, along with a feeling of great insecurity of employment, is tasked with building a strong Community, and the foundation laid by their predecessors.

A stranger on his first visit to Linden, can hardly help being impressed by the remarkable difference between the two (2) sides of the river, which is only about one hundred (100) yards wide at this point. However, should he make investigations leading up to the development of the land on both banks, the apparent difference would no longer be appalling.

Linden as a Township is comprised of what were formerly the three (3) distinct and distinctly different-settlements of Mackenzie, Wismar and Christianburg. Christianburg, the oldest settlement in the area dates back to the days of the Dutch occupancy. These new colonialists first settled at Arague on the east bank of the Demerara River, about one mile from Christianburg, which was then known as Stabroek. These early settlers were mainly involved in sugar cane farming and rubber bleeding. The Dutch Governor at the time was a Christian Finnette, and he and his wife (who was a descendant of the Burgs-a prominent family in the Hague), lived at Stabroek from where extensive rubber bleeding took place. Later as the rubber plantation extended, Governor Finnette renamed the area Christianburg-joining his first name with that of the Burgs.

After the English invasion in the year 1803, John Patterson, a Scottish Engineer came to this country at the invitation of the english, to set up living quarters for Government officials. (He also built the Eve Leary barracks) Patterson chose Christianburg for his logging operations, using slaves, Dutch settlers and Amerindians as his work force. This mixed group were to form the nucleus of permanent settlers, and their names such as D’Anjou, DeClou, Fiedtkou, Jones, Adams, Couchman and Allicock are still scattered throughout the area.

In these early days Patterson transported logs by trying them together alongside a punt in which he and his wife lived, and using slaves with paddles and oars transported the logs down the river. Such trips lasted more than a week and many of the slaves, inexperienced as they were, lost their lives along the way.

Later Patterson established a Sawmilling operation at Christianburg where he harnessed the Katabulli Creek to set up up a Hydro Plant to power the sawmill and nearby cabins. The Waterwheel and other relics still identify the site of the old mill, while Patterson’s mansion now houses the Christianburg’s Court House. (Partially visible in the photo above)

Before his death in 1894, Patterson had extended his operations southwards to the Cuyure Creek and westwards to the Essequibo River.

The area south of Christianburg, then known as Shingles Landing, where shingles and wallaba posts were manufactured, was later named Wismar.

There is also some mention in 1762 of Wismar being a Sugar Plantation belonging to an English planter called Anthony Somersell. In the year 1894, government took over Patterson’s plantation and a portion was sold to Sprostons. Before the identification of Bauxite in the area, Wismar was an important Centre for many men and women who visited the gold and diamond areas of Tumatumari in Essequibo-Potaro district, in Kanaimapu in the Upper reaches of the Demerara, as well as those who were engaged in the balata-bleeding industry. It was the entrepot for workers in these gold bearing and balata producing districts, and it also boasted of being the headquarters of Messrs. Sprostons Limited in the upper Demerara since this company operated the steamer services from Georgetown with Rockstone on the Essequibo.

Sometime in the 1860′s, after Bauxite identified the discovery of gold-bearing rocks in different parts of British Guiana, the Geologists James Hawkins and Barrington Brown visited Christianburg and showed much interest in the soil they found there. But it was not until 1909 that Sir John Harrison, the Director of Science and Agriculture in British Guiana determined the exact nature of the material. It was bauxite.

Prior to the exploitation of bauxite, Christianburg was considered the seat of Government, having the offices of the district emmissary, the district engineer, the dispenser, the police etc. that gave that Community a feeling of greater social status over their less dominant and settled friends at Wismar, which exists even to the present. This small group, centred around the Church of Scotland in class proximity, put the residents of Christianburg in a position where they looked on with some degree of disdain at the great stir of “treasure” and “pleasure” seekers that came and went at Wismar.

But unlike the traditional pork knockers, there were those who decided to settle down in the area; and it was to such people that the government sold a number of small house lots. Later with the help of Rev. and Mrs. M.A. Cossou an infant Welfare Clinic was esablished and the Girl guides and Boy Scouts Association were introduced. By 1927, however, the christianburg sawmill (then run by the Government) was closed down and the big water wheel ceased to roll.

The discovery of bauxite and the mining of the area in 1916 heralded a new industry and eyes were now turned to Mackenzie on the opposite bank. The urge was no longer to seek hidden treasure, which by this time had become scarce, but rather to secure employment in a thriving and highly productive industry. Movement was not only up and down river to Wismar but also across to Mackenzie.

It is interesting to note, however that although the emphasis was no longer on gold, there was a similar attitude towards employment as obtained at Wismar, for men and women, were content to take the tide at its highest flow and when it ebbed to take greater fortune elsewhere.

Instability of the world market for Aluminium and the fluctuations in the labour organisation which resulted did have their effect from time to time in helping to produce a Community devoid of communal ties. Despite this, however, the Demerara Bauxite Company forged ahead with plans for greater social welfare to be found in better roads, lighting, education, health services and housing to accommodate a large portion of its work force.

When Guyana became a republic in 1970 and the Company nationalised in 1971, the bauxite industry as a responsible corporate Citizen became more involved with the Town. the company Managers used varied skills to participate in a number of Community projects.

In the field of education, the company was involved in Kara Kara primary School, the Mackenzie High School and making funds available for the repair and maintenance of the other schools in the area. The Company made 7,000 acres of land available for house lots on the Rockstone road, amelia’s Ward and North and South Mackenzie.

In the medical field the Mackenzie Hospital was extended and more modern facilities offered to the people of Linden. The Company also managed the upper Demerara Hospital at Christianburg.

When one looks at the development of the Town, especially with the growth of such areas as Wisroc, Amelia’s Ward, South Mackenzie, and West Watooka, Burnham Drive and the business Centre in the Republic Avenue, one is faced with the realisation of a rapidly developing Community. In every section of the Town there has been evidence of greater social mobility, and better integration among the various groups.

Linden today needs greater economic stability which can only be achieved by increasing productivity in every field of employment.

Source

Tagged: christianburg, Guyana, linden, tourism, water wheel, wismar

§ One Response to “Christianburg Water Wheel – Linden”

• rick a. wazid says:

  January 22, 2010 at 10:18 pm

  to whom it may concern, do you have any information of one charles huilie wordsworth who was a close friend of patterson , and whom was employed by the british govenment to serve in the capacity as what we today to as a medeic. i was made to understand that this person had ownership to a parcle of land known as rubber plantation. it appears that wordsworth died sometime in the late 1890 and was buried in the vicinity of what must have been a health centre, maybe where this wordsworth was working. i am not for a claim to any land , but since wordsworth is my grate grandfather i long to find if any information is to be found of his time in christianburg and what date and age he died , also where did his remains laid to rest.this woordsworth had one son an only child whose mother died when he was maybe a baby, at which time he was brought up by a potugese woman that was paid by charles h. wordsworth to take care of this child , but stop sending money when the baby boy was about 11-12 years old. iwould appreciate if i can find such information through you,. thanks again rick wazid.

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