Dear Editor,
The early morning fire that destroyed the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court and offices on April 12, 2011, consumed the oldest and most historical building in Linden and probably Guyana. The courthouse as it was commonly known, was constructed by John Dagleish Paterson in 1803 and served as the Paterson family home until the 1890s when it was sold to the British government. This building withstood the ravages of time and was 208 years old. The tragic loss of such an important monument cannot be replaced. It brought tears to my eyes when I read the morning newspaper in Jupiter, Florida. I was not only moved by the loss of family heritage, for this was my many times great grandfather’s home. Both of my parents descended from John Dagleish Paterson’s son, David.
This symbolic structure represented the foundation of the town of Linden. The Paterson home and large sawmill were powered by the famous waterwheel that still stands frozen in time. J D Paterson, John Blunt and John Spencer, who were known as the three friends, were invited into the area by the community’s earlier settler, Robert Fredrick Allicock. The housing centre around the sawmill was known as the ‘Red Camp’ since the roofs of the cottages were painted red. This was Linden in its infancy. Most of the Mackenzie shore was cleared for Demba’s bauxite development in early 1900 and included land from Surapana to Speightland. The courthouse and the remains of the sawmill in front of it, stood a tall witness to everyone that lived in the area for two centuries. Before the Linden-Soesdyke Highway opening in 1968, all travel into the area was by means of the Demerara River. The courthouse greeted all visitors as they entered and left the area. The memories of the steamer R H CARR passing by were very symbolic to travellers to and from Georgetown.
However, that was recent history. In Henry Kirke’s book 25 Years in British Guiana last published in 1896, he wrote of his time as a magistrate in Guyana and his many trips up the Demerara River. According to Kirke, “Christianburg, about 70 miles from Georgetown, was the residence of a Scottish family named Paterson. The house was one of the largest and best built in the colony. A large Sawmill is near the house worked by waterpower, and behind stretched the red shingle roof cottages of the employees. The landing place was marked by a flagstaff and flanked by two old Dutch cannons…” He went on to describe the inside of the home and the dignified old widow, who was the living proof of the healthiness of the river for persons of temperate habits.
Kirke was speaking of the period around the 1860s. The timeline would have shown that the house was built in 1803, possibly under Dutch rule during the Peace of Amiens. It was not until 1812 that Stabroek, the capital of Guyana and the surrounding built-up areas, were named ‘George-Town.’
The house would have witnessed the 1834 abolition of slavery as well as the first East Indian indentured labourers arriving in Guyana in 1838. The courthouse stood the test of time. When the Christianburg Cemetery opened in 1945, all the town’s residents that died had to pass the courthouse as they were laid to rest.
As we mourn this historical loss, and reflect back in time, the new generation must be encouraged to understand the community’s rich history.
A house without a foundation will not stand. Understanding and respecting the past are the keys of the future.
Yours faithfully,
Dmitri Allicock
