Nevis Historical and Conservantion Society
Charlestown. Nevis
February 26, 2008
The NHCS would like for everyone to support its effort to bring some publicity to this area of concern regarding history and heritage.
EDITORIAL:
In the late 1600’s through the mid 1700’s, at a time when Nevis was the headquarters of the Leeward Islands, all British ships coming to the Western Hemisphere had to clear customs in Nevis. This included the ships that carried the human cargo of enslaved people from Africa. They were carried on ships of the Royal African Company, a company registered in England and established in Nevis and Virginia.
The enslaved ancestors of Nevisians as well as other West Indian countries and the Americas, after surviving the horrendous `Middle Passage’, set foot on solid ground after months at sea and wallowing in their own waste at the Nevis port of entry. The pier was located near to the site where Unella’s is located today. There was a seawall built in Charlestown approximately 20 yards from the Main Road. The sea wall contained a small passage way or threshold where individuals could pass from the beach to the town. This particular threshold was where all the enslaved had to cross on their way to a holding area, which today is behind the walls at Crosses Alley. Manacles (known as Manillas) from this time period and found at this location can be seen
at the Alexander Hamilton Museum.
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