Rock Hall Freedom Park’s significance to the fore

by David Hinkson

There are still not many Barbadians aware of the historical significance of the small rural community of Rock Hall in St. Thomas as Barbados’ first free village, but the Division of Culture in the Prime Minister’s Office is seeking to change that and has been reaping rewards with its efforts so far.

As part of the Season of Emancipation and Heritage Month, the division staged a walking tour of the area
over the weekend.

Cultural Policy and Research Officer with the Division, Dr. Sheron Johnson, said: “As the first free village set up in Barbados, following a bequest from the owner of the Mount Wilton Plantation, Rock Hall played a major role in the enfranchisement of the formerly enslaved people, in that they were able to purchase land and build homes. Ownership of the land also gave them the right to vote, as the franchise was then determined by the amount of land a person owned.”

During the tour, one of the tour guides, Lenora Arthur, gave a few more details on how the village came about.

“The owner of Mount Wilton Plantation at the time was Ronald Elcock Alleyne, who was murdered in 1821 when he was thirty-two years old. Apart from Mount Wilton, he owned about three other plantations, and in his will, he left some money for his former slaves.

Those funds finally came through in 1841, a few years after emancipation in 1834, and the former slaves used it to buy land in the Rock Hall area. Some other land also became available around that time when another plantation owner, Dr. Bailey, divided some of his land into one and two acre lots and sold it because with emancipation, the sugar industry was not as lucrative as before. Many of the families who purchased the land still have descendants living here today.”

In 1980, the Barbados Government Information Service produced a documentary entitled “Freedom Is” outlining the history of the village, following research done by Professor Emeritus in the History Department at UWI Cave Hill Campus, Sir Woodville Marshall. Johnson stated that her division has started work on a new documentary and has already carried out interviews with some of the residents.

In speaking of the Freedom Park, she added: “We have left the wall of one of the old houses intact, and that is the first thing people see as they come into the park.

“The chattel houses are built to the same pattern as the original homes we found here and the facilities are run by people who live in the area.

We plan to make this a multicultural site where people can stage concerts and other events, and I believe it would fit into the community tourism model given that visitors often pass through Rock Hall on the way to Harrison’s Cave.”

One of the participants on the tour, Karen Gamble, said better signage would help bring more people to Rock Hall. “A friend of mine invited me here because I’m interested in anything related to Barbados’ heritage.

I had never heard about Rock Hall before, but I am amazed at the history surrounding it. Usually, I would come into this area to the fast-food restaurant nearby, but I would not think of coming here. But now I know what it’s all about, I would suggest more signage so that people can come and see it for themselves.”

Arthur said: “I would say we had a good turnout this evening, despite the fact that Covid is still in the air and it was a Sunday afternoon. It was good to see people come up here that did not know about it before.

I first came here during CARIFESTA in 2017 and I’m pleased to see the development that has taken place since then, and I believe that Barbadians can get a greater sense of their identity through attractions like Rock Hall.”