Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2017 | Page 364

Saba Archaeological
Center
F
ounded in 2012 by Jay Haviser and
Ryan Espersen, the Saba Archaeological
Centre (SABARC) seeks to preserve and
promote Saba’s cultural heritage through
archaeological research and outreach initiatives.
Through SABARC, the youths on the island
are encouraged to get involved in these
explorations, thereby creating public awareness
and generating an appreciation of their island’s
history and culture through the discoveries
made. Some of the Centre’s work focused on
archaeological investigations in three regions,
among others: Mary’s Point Village, Flat Point and
The Ladder.
Mary’s Point Village (Palmetto Point), a late 18th
to early 20th century village was once inhabited
by poor Sabans who were then locally conidered
to be the lowest class of the “white” residents
[Source: Espersen, 2009].
Flat Point is an archeological site which was once
a colonial sugar plantation.
The Ladder, which is 800 steps carved from the
rock, played a great role in the island’s history.
Before the enlargement of the port at Fort
Bay, the Ladder was used to transport supplies
and everything else from Ladder Bay up to the
village of The Bottom. Ladder Bay was especially
important as it was one of only two main points
of landing on the island - the other being Fort
Bay, and, when the southerly winds made the
waters at Fort Bay too rough for any landings, the
Ladder was used as there were no other options
for getting up to The Bottom.
There is still a lot to be discovered by
archaeological investigations into the island’s
pre historic and historic sites. Of note, in 2015, a
mid-eighteenth century skeleton of a pregnant
woman was found near Saba power plant. This
exciting find is one of many, which points to
the importance of the work done by SABARC.
The gathering of archaeological data and the
involvement of the young people of the island
in this process bodes well for the preservation
of Saba’s history and culture for generations to
come.
[Photographs: courtsey of SABARC]
Dr. Ryan Espersen
Youth excavations