Latest update January 18th, 2025 7:00 AM
Christianburg – Linden’s first village
On entering Linden by river, Christianburg would be the very first village one would encounter on the right bank of the Demerara River.
This proximity to the river must have been one of the deciding factors for the earliest settlers, who were engaged in logging, as easy access to shipping was a must. No highway was available back then.
So it was that this quaint little village was the first to be established around the fast flowing Katapulli creek, which empties into the Demerara River. 
Establishing the settlement in close proximity to the Katapulli was a move that was advantageous in more ways than one for the early residents, as the creek, apart from supplying water for domestic purposes, was also used for harnessing electricity to power the sawmill.
This was made possible by building a huge water wheel, which trapped the energy from the fast flowing creek. This waterwheel has now become one of the more famous landmarks in Linden. It was installed in 1855.
The famous relic sits majestically almost on the grounds of another famous landmark, the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court. Both of these landmarks were established by the Pattersons. The present Christianburg Magistrate’s Court, originally served as the residence for the wealthy logging family. This building was reportedly one of the largest wooden edifices to be constructed in the entire country during the 1830s. Today the imposing structure still stands, though somewhat modified to suit the purposes of a modern day Magistrate’s Court.
However, many of its unique architectural features, such as the brick columns and wooden jalousies are still intact.
Considered the oldest settlement in the town of Linden, which at the time of its establishment was known as Mackenzie, Christianburg was originally known as Stabroek. It was later renamed Christianburg in honour of Governor Christian Finette, who joined his name with that of his wife, whose family name was Burg.
Early Days
With the sawmill at Katapulli, the logging industry boomed, and so it was that more people began to settle in the Christianburg area.
The court house
The logging business operated by the Pattersons served as a sort of precedent or model for other entrepreneurs who later established their logging operations.
Some of the more prominent local names in the business included the D’anjous and the Allicocks.
Such was the contribution of these early residents to the community that a few alleys were named after them.
Interestingly, most of the roadways in Christianburg, are referred to as ‘alleys’, and all of them were named after various families and businesses.
The more popular ones are D’anjou, John, Maxwell and Leiting Alleys.
The St Matthews Church, which was constructed by the Presbyterians, was officially opened on November 25, 1898, to serve the religious needs of the ever-growing population.
The magnificent structure still stands today on the grounds of the Christianburg Primary School.
Formerly known as the Christianburg Scots School , the school was owned and managed by the Church of Scotland.
The first sets of teachers were nuns, so not surprisingly the curriculum had a strong religious base.
All that has changed, however, with the school, now being managed by Government, and run under a new name – Christianburg Primary.
Christianburg Today
To too many people in Linden, Christianburg is “synonymous” with death, as the only cemetery is found there, but to the residents of this “frontier” village, Christianburg is a beautiful place, with the roaring Katapulli, though not harnessing electricity anymore for the community, still very much in evidence.
The church
Most residents of Christianburg agree, however, that given the community’s ‘first village’ status, enough attention is not being paid to the community.
And many feel that the more prominent citizens that the community gave birth to should touch base more often, and give back to this special place.
Christianburg has definitely progressed from the days, when the Katapulli Creek was the sole means of harnessing electricity for the few residents that worked at the Patterson Sawmill.
Today the community boasts of a health clinic, several churches, a community centre, and the only Magistrate’s Court in Linden; but residents are still of the view that more could be done for the community.
And perhaps their prayers might just be answered with the soon to be established “Container wharf transhipment facility”, at the old OMAI wharf.
It is anticipated that with the establishment of the multi-million-dollar project, Christianburg will once again become a hub of economic activity, which will not only impact on the residents of that community, but Linden as a whole.
The project, which involves the establishment of a terminal and wharf, is intended to cater for, and facilitate the handling of an anticipated surge in containerised and break /bulk cargo traffic within the Guyana /Brazil Road Corridor.
The establishment of the transshipment facility, which will facilitate the movement of cargo overland through Guyana will result in a reduction of some five days in the transit time for cargo, to and from Boa Vista and Manaus, and the Atlantic Ocean.
GNIC recently signed a Memorandum of understanding with the gold mining firm ‘I am Gold’, to use their wharf facilities for a period of two years, during which time GNIC will be able to fully complete their facility.
The ‘I am Gold’ terminal is adjacent to the 18 acre plot of land at Christianburg, which GNIC has leased from the government to build their own wharf facility. Establishment of the transshipment facility involves a substantial investment in infrastructure, Plant and equipment.
The site has already been debushed and cleared in readiness for the erection of a security fence, and three buildings which will serve as office and temporary workers quarters. This aspect of the project was funded by the Linden Economic Advancement Programme (LEAP) at a cost of some G$63M.
There are reports that some fifty initial jobs are expected to be created through the “container wharf” project. In a Town where unemployment is rife and downscaling of operations prevalent, and the promise by Bosai to resuscitate the old Alumina Plant, seemingly a distant dream, this is good news indeed! (Enid Joaquin)
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