George Washington came to Barbados in 1751 while he was still a relative nobody – hoping for a career as a land surveyor and farmer – in the company of his older brother Lawrence. Lawrence was suffering from tuberculosis, and they hoped the climate in Barbados would cure him. It didn’t – Lawrence died the following year, unfortunately. While in Barbados, George contracted small pox and did survive. This gave him immunity and saved him from potentially dying of it later, as an outbreak occurred during the American war of independence. And we know how the rest of that story went…Barbadians are proud of the small but significant part their country played in America’s history.
Very close to our hotel is the George Washington House, in the heart of the Garrison District of Barbados. CJ and I discovered this on a morning walk around the racetrack, which sits in a bowl-shaped area known as the Savannah.
Map of the Garrison District, as it exists today.
The Savannah used to fill up with water every rainy season, and as a result mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and yellow fever would increase during that time. The British did not know the cause of the diseases at that time, but did recognize they coincided with the sitting water, so they created tunnels under the Savannah, to drain the water and for stealthy troop movements in case of attack. The tunnels go on for miles underneath, to a variety of buildings, eventually leading to the sea at Carlisle Bay.
The existence of the tunnels were the stuff of rumours and almost forgotten, until someone needed to do some work at George Washington House and rediscovered them during the process.
Our morning visit to George Washington House included an informative short video about George Washington’s stay, followed by a tour of the tunnels and the house.
Our guide (one of two during our tour) Wilbert provided us with a fascinating tour of the 200 feet of the tunnels we were allowed to travel.
Wilbert in the tunnel. Not for the claustrophobic, he warned us. This section of the tunnel was made with bricks previously used on sailing ships as ballast. Some of the tunnel is dug right into the coral that makes up the island of Barbados.
After our tunnel tour, we were handed off to Martin, who showed us the house itself.
George Washington House exterior, with separate kitchen building on the rightEntryway and 30 seat dining table, built expressly for GW House’s Monday evening “Dinner with George” (which we did not know about until too late, unfortunately).View of table from opposite endRecreation of period tea set from broken pieces found in the gully beside the house. Love the criss-cross handle detail, and the pie crust table.Period liquor cabinet on wheels. Handy!Martin showing us an 18th century rum bottle brought up from Carlisle Bay. Sailors would throw them overboard once empty. Damn litterbugs!George’s bedroom. On the ground floor, off the main hallway. Not his actual bed as none of the original furniture was saved due to GW’s relative nobody-ness at the time. Furnishings are typical of the period, however. I need to paint a room this colour.18th century tall boy, once owned by actress Claudette Colbert, who lived on Barbados once she retired from film.Close up of gorgeous hardware on the tall boy.Brother Lawrence’s bedroom – bigger and better as befits the elder son. Across the hall. Love the hide-covered chest.18th century gentleman’s bag. I call it a murse (man purse).Medical text of that time period. Includes cures for hangovers and cancer…Next door to the house was the kitchen – separated from the main house in case of fire.This was the closest thing to refrigeration in the tropics, at that time. A room off the main kitchen, kept cool by wetting the earthen floor and capturing the breeze through the slit in the wall.The kitchen sink, complete with jukking board, for washing clothes.
After the main floor tour, we were invited to explore the second storey exhibits, on our own.
Stairway to second storey of GW House.The second story of GW House (thankfully air-conditioned!) was filled with exhibits about the life and times of the inhabitants of Barbados in the 18th century.Informative signage.Slaves outnumbered owners 4-1 at one point. Which led to the “creolization” of the Island, according to what we read. (Which I think means there was a lot of mixing going on.) Also, the white people were terrified of being overtaken, so control was tight and punishments were extremely harsh. Sad part of the history of this beautiful island.We were told by others to definitely stop at the onsite cafe (formerly the stables) for refreshments. It did not disappoint! Try a lemon square, if you ever visit.
Of all of the sights CJ and I have seen so far in 3 years (well, 4 years for me) of visiting Barbados, this one has to be my favourite. Thanks in no small part to Wilbert and Martin, our knowledgeable and charming tour guides.
If you ever are in Barbados (and I hope you get the chance to visit), I recommend a trip to George Washington House.
Yikes, table for 30? I have a hard time planning a sit-down meal for more than 6 or 8 at a time. Interesting how any society that has slaves could be called “civilized.” But, like you said, damn humans.
[I just tried to comment here and the system ate my comment, so if this is somehow a repeat comment delete one if you want to.]
Your photos are beautiful and I’d like to visit this place. The narrow hall isn’t for me but that long table that sits 30 is inviting. Plus I’m a sucker for lemon squares, so if I ever get to Barbados this is on my to-do list.
Hi Ally, both your comments ended up in my Spam folder. Not sure why, but I clearly marked them as NOT SPAM so you should be good to go if you want to comment again in the future.
The lemon square is huge, so I hope Zen-Den likes them as well. CJ and I had the foresight to split one.
Thanks for persevering with the commenting, and for letting me know about the problem.
Deb, I figure that if I can’t comment there’s a possibility that someone else can’t comment, too. Thanks for letting me know what happened.
Don’t you love it when you get *too much* of something deliciously sweet? I tell you, the possibility of eating those lemon squares might be enough to get me to visit Barbados!
Hi, Deb – Thank you so much for taking us along on this tour with you. I found it to be fascinating — and timely! I am currently reading Esi Edugyan’s novel “George Washington Black” which is set predominantly on a sugar plantation in Barbados, when slavery was at its peak. If you have a chance, I highly recommend this book to you. Great airplane reading! 🙂
I love your quick action! Esi is a Vancouver Islander. She is the winner of the Giller Prize and finalist for the Man Booker Prize. I think that you will greatly enjoy this book.
Hi Deb,
Fascinating place and a fascinating man…I’m glad that you are enjoying your trip to the warmer regions! It was a conflicted time in our history; still not sure how to judge the actions of folks in that time, like slavery – they are certainly a product of their culture and environment.
Enslaving others has been a part of human history until relatively recently…at least I hope that it is now gone for good! It certainly is not exclusive to any one culture, nation or race. Thanks, Nancy!
It looks like a beautiful old colonial home. I don’t think I would have been able to enter that tunnel, though! I wonder who the indigenous people of Barbados were and what happened to them after contact and the arrival of slaves?
Not much is known about the Amerindian or Carib people of Barbados, it seemed to me. I did see some artifacts in the museum. I think they were absorbed into the slave population. Either that or European diseases wiped them out, or a combination of the two.
Everyone needs a liquor cabinet on wheels! Why did we not think of this earlier?!! 😉
A good tour guide makes all the difference! The slavery part was new to me … damn, even in Barbados 😡
Yep, I don’t think there are many places on earth where one group of people haven’t enslaved another at one point in time. Damn humans!
We really are a terrible species 😕
Yikes, table for 30? I have a hard time planning a sit-down meal for more than 6 or 8 at a time. Interesting how any society that has slaves could be called “civilized.” But, like you said, damn humans.
I don’t know if they had big dinners like that in George’s day, but they have them now at the house, with an actor portraying George in attendance.
What an interesting post and great photos. I knew about the slave trading on the island but little else.
Thank you Jean
[I just tried to comment here and the system ate my comment, so if this is somehow a repeat comment delete one if you want to.]
Your photos are beautiful and I’d like to visit this place. The narrow hall isn’t for me but that long table that sits 30 is inviting. Plus I’m a sucker for lemon squares, so if I ever get to Barbados this is on my to-do list.
Hi Ally, both your comments ended up in my Spam folder. Not sure why, but I clearly marked them as NOT SPAM so you should be good to go if you want to comment again in the future.
The lemon square is huge, so I hope Zen-Den likes them as well. CJ and I had the foresight to split one.
Thanks for persevering with the commenting, and for letting me know about the problem.
Deb
Deb, I figure that if I can’t comment there’s a possibility that someone else can’t comment, too. Thanks for letting me know what happened.
Don’t you love it when you get *too much* of something deliciously sweet? I tell you, the possibility of eating those lemon squares might be enough to get me to visit Barbados!
Hi, Deb – Thank you so much for taking us along on this tour with you. I found it to be fascinating — and timely! I am currently reading Esi Edugyan’s novel “George Washington Black” which is set predominantly on a sugar plantation in Barbados, when slavery was at its peak. If you have a chance, I highly recommend this book to you. Great airplane reading! 🙂
Thanks Donna! I’m definitely interested in reading this book.
Oops – The book is actually called “Washington Black”. I was close!
Placed a hold on a digital copy from the library. Should get it in a couple of months!
I love your quick action! Esi is a Vancouver Islander. She is the winner of the Giller Prize and finalist for the Man Booker Prize. I think that you will greatly enjoy this book.
I think so too Donna. I’ve enjoyed her other books.😁
Hi Deb,
Fascinating place and a fascinating man…I’m glad that you are enjoying your trip to the warmer regions! It was a conflicted time in our history; still not sure how to judge the actions of folks in that time, like slavery – they are certainly a product of their culture and environment.
Enslaving others has been a part of human history until relatively recently…at least I hope that it is now gone for good! It certainly is not exclusive to any one culture, nation or race. Thanks, Nancy!
It looks like a beautiful old colonial home. I don’t think I would have been able to enter that tunnel, though! I wonder who the indigenous people of Barbados were and what happened to them after contact and the arrival of slaves?
Not much is known about the Amerindian or Carib people of Barbados, it seemed to me. I did see some artifacts in the museum. I think they were absorbed into the slave population. Either that or European diseases wiped them out, or a combination of the two.
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