Linden to celebrate Town Week

Apr 28, 2012 News

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BY DMITRI ALLICOCK

Many overseas visitors and former residents gathered in Linden this week to celebrate Linden Town Week with festivity, reflection and edification.
The Linden Tourism Committee and people of Upper Demerara must be proud to see this brand new tradition and excellent idea which was started in 1996 take root and has grown to what it is today.
The Linden Town Week is held annually during the last week of April in Linden. Residents showcase their achievements, make known the Town’s history and give recognition to its famous and respected residents.
There are displays, exhibitions and competitions of various kinds like agricultural and local art and craft exhibitions and chainsaw competitions. The highlight of this festival is the crowning of the Linden Town Queen
The history town of Linden, which incorporated Mackenzie and two former village districts, Wismar and Christianburg, established in 1970 and named after the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, President of Guyana, dates back to the 1700s.
The last 200 years of Upper Demerara and Linden’s history could be broken up into three aspects of significant influence on the lives of the people. The Paterson Sawmill and Red Camp housing area, the Sprostons Demerara to Essequibo Railway, and the Demerara Bauxite Company
The general area known as Mackenzie today is made up of a piece of prized land that is the largest area of natural open flat land along the entire 215-mile length of the Demerara River valley. This natural feature is created by the many creeks converging in this area.
The area called Linden is located 65 miles from the Atlantic coast of Guyana.

The historical record shows that Robert Frederick Allicock lived on the eastern shore of the Demerara River and owned Noitgedacht or plantation Retrieve an area of 4901 Rhynland acre or 8.040 square miles.  John Allicock  had owned Plantation Wismar {401 acres} after Anthony and John Somersall ; Harrower and Donvin owned Nerva Sawmill; Christian Fenette owned Christianburg  prior to John Dagleish Paterson; Old England was owned by John Payne Blount before John Mansfield; Three Friends  by Sir John Spencer; Blount and Brotherson had owned Arakwa. The Watooka Lands were the property of Cloot DeNieunkirk. Most of these plantations became Timber Estates.
The languages spoken during those times would have been Dutch, English, German, Akawaio and also Scottish Gaelic, spoken by the prominent Scottish Highlanders in the area.
It is important to note that much of the land along the banks of the Demerara River has seen a succession of planters and early settlers, of whose estates nothing remains today. Today the only remnant of the early settlers clearly visible is the remains of the 1824 Water Wheel of the Sawmill that John Dagleish Paterson owned.
The Paterson family plot lies in front of the fresh ruins of the fire that destroyed the former Paterson’s home and Court House in April 2011.
The Demerara Bauxite Company would soon be established with the 1912 land purchased by George Bain Mackenzie. The year 1917 saw the first mining of bauxite at Akyma and later the construction of the Bauxite plant and housing areas on the eastern shores of the river.
In 1916, The Demerara Bauxite Company was incorporated and registered in Georgetown, and started operations on the lands bought by Mackenzie.  1n 1917, bauxite mining started at Maria Elizabeth and nearby Akyma. Both areas are south of Mackenzie, about eight miles upriver from the town.
The area of Mackenzie was briefly called Mackenzie City but the ‘City’ was dropped later. The bauxite plant on the east bank of the Demerara River was soon built. The mining community would soon follow.
Thousands of homes were constructed by Demba to house its employees. The entire area of Mackenzie including Kara-Kara, Industrial area, Rainbow City, Constabulary compound, Mackenzie High School teachers living quarters at Retrieve and at Red Wood Crescent were built by Demba.
The exclusive areas of Watooka, Fairs Rust, Noitgedacht and the Richmond Hill area were also constructed to house their staff members. Thousands from the coastal areas of Guyana and the numerous Caribbean Island flocked to Linden with the promise of work, housing and a better life.
As the company expanded, housing then moved across the river to Silvertown, Wismar, Silver city, Christianburg, and the housing scheme areas on Wismar hill. Along with housing came all supportive building of municipality such as library, clinic, hospital, recreational hall, public pool, the Mackenzie sports club with tennis court and ground, all built for the comfort of their workers. The Watooka guest house, pool, tennis court, school, dairy and golf course served the staff of Demba.
Most of the streets of Mackenzie were named after the woods logged in the nearby forests such as Greenheart, Purpleheart, Crabwood, Mora, Bulletwood, Determa, Silverballi and others. Some areas like “Dakama” Circle and “Redwood” Crescent were named in a similar manner. Arvida road now Republic Avenue, was named after Alcan’s Alumina smelter located in Arvida, Quebec, Canada as bauxite dominated life in Upper Demerara and Linden
The Upper Demerara, Botaba Seventh Day Adventist Church of 1897 is the oldest Seventh Day Adventist Church in Guyana. Along with the 1898 Scots Presbyterian Church at Christianburg, it is the oldest surviving building in the area.

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