Burnt Magistrate Court - an historical loss

Burnt Magistrate Court – an historical loss

Apr 17, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
The early morning fire that destroyed the Christianburg Magistrate Court and offices on 12 April, 2011, consumed the oldest and most historical building in Linden and probably Guyana.
The court house as it was commonly known was constructed by John Dagleish Paterson in 1803 and served as the Paterson’s family home until the 1890’s 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 newspapers 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 was 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 “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 the early 1900 which included land from Surapana to Speightland. The court house 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 court house greeted all visitors as they entered and left the area. The memories of the Steamer R. H. CARR passing by were very symbolic to travelers 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 Judge 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 1860’s. The time line would have shown that the house was built under Dutch rule and seen the War of 1803, between England and Holland. It was not until 1812 that Stabroek, the Capital of Guyana, was named Georgetown. The house would have witnessed the 1835 abolition of slavery as well as the first East Indian indentured labourers from South India arriving in Guyana in 1838.
The court house stood a testimony of time. When the Christianburg Cemetery opened in 1945, all the town’s residents that died had to pass the court house 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 to the future.

Dmitri Allicock
(Four times Great Grandson of John Dagleish Paterson)
6343 Barbara St. 33458, Jupiter FL. USA

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