This is fascinating. Not too far from us on the west coast of Florida are the remains of a sugar mill! Some of what's left looks similar to what you've shown here.
This mill has a dark history as it relied on slave labor with brutal conditions for workers. The owners did not live on St. John. The tower was a windmill used to power a press to extract sugar cane juice which was then boiled in large iron cauldrons.
The history of imperialism, especially in the islands is not pleasant, agreed. Howard Zinn's "A people's History of the United States" does a great job covering the history of the Caribbean in it's opening pages. The sugar mill also had as a natural second product, Rum! It was the drippings off the drying sugar crystals, post boil. The Danish windmill in the first picture originally had a wooden structure above with large cloth "sails" for blades. The whole top house could be turned to face the wind. The ramp (seen to the left) were common to roll the barrels of sugar and rum around. Also the entire complex was gravity fed, which made sense since the windmill naturally needed to be on the highest, windiest point. Then the sugar flowed downhill from there into the boiling room.
This is fascinating. Not too far from us on the west coast of Florida are the remains of a sugar mill! Some of what's left looks similar to what you've shown here.
ReplyDeleteThis mill has a dark history as it relied on slave labor with brutal conditions for workers. The owners did not live on St. John. The tower was a windmill used to power a press to extract sugar cane juice which was then boiled in large iron cauldrons.
DeleteNow I've seen sugar cane but I did not know the process. I did not know they pressed the cane and then boiled the juice down.
ReplyDeleteThese photos were nice to see, great in B&W!
ReplyDeleteBad history!
Impressive old structure and love the added cloud drama in the first photo!
ReplyDeleteI love old stone. You captured this so well.
ReplyDeleteLike the effect the B&W have. It makes the age worthy. Great shot :0)
ReplyDeleteIf you had not told us what this was, I would have said a fort. What a nice walk back in time. genie
ReplyDeleteI like your photos, particularly the first. History is often unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteThe history of imperialism, especially in the islands is not pleasant, agreed. Howard Zinn's "A people's History of the United States" does a great job covering the history of the Caribbean in it's opening pages. The sugar mill also had as a natural second product, Rum! It was the drippings off the drying sugar crystals, post boil. The Danish windmill in the first picture originally had a wooden structure above with large cloth "sails" for blades. The whole top house could be turned to face the wind. The ramp (seen to the left) were common to roll the barrels of sugar and rum around. Also the entire complex was gravity fed, which made sense since the windmill naturally needed to be on the highest, windiest point. Then the sugar flowed downhill from there into the boiling room.
ReplyDelete