St. Maarten Private Eye

Save Emilio Wilson Estate Committee
L.B. Scot Road
St. Maarten
Netherlands Antilles
Tel: 523-1188
E-mail: bernveen@yahoo.com
________________________________________

Executive Council of the Island Territory of St. Maarten
Government Administration Building
Clem LaBega Square
Philipsburg
St. Maarten
September 20, 2005

Dear Executive Council,

Objection to request to planning permit (nr. 05059) for Emilio Wilson Estate based on valuable historical data

The Save Emilio Wilson Committee is objecting to the request for planning permit (nr. 05059) on public review at the Department of Environment and Zoning (VROM) office.

The committee’s objection to the sub division plans is based on the fact that this property has a large number of historical monuments of priceless valuable to our local history that we cannot allow the sub division of land to be used for residential purposes as the Planning Permit request indicates.

The committee would like to point out to the council that the property has the following valuable historical ruins such as the First Governor of the island John Philips’ house, other monuments, slave graves, slave paths that are extremely important to the history which mark and identify who our people are today and where they came from.

Rockland
1. St. Maarten’s first Governors building of Governor John Philips
2. Emilio Wilson’s Dwelling House (a former boiling house and school) built in early 1700s
3. Burial Ground (also known as Slave Yard) for former owners of Industry and Golden Rock
4. A water well and a spring surrounded completely by dry walls and erosion walls
5. Two natural caves at the top of Sentry Hill, which according to oral history were used by the slave woman One Tété Lohkey to hide children to prevent them from living a life in slavery and may even have pre-Colombian significance.

Lime Piece
1. One natural cave

Doctor’s Yard
This is currently the Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park which has the ruins of Dr. Millard’s Dwelling with a water cistern, ruins of the boiling house, a round structure build from rock stones and clay on which a sugar cane mill was built, two water wells and a spring.

Kenepa Garden
1. Part of Kenepa Garden adjoins Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park. From the hill upward to a big and very old grape tree, which is still standing, was the village of the field slaves (plantation slaves). Fifty-three (53) slaves were born, worked, lived, and were buried there.

2. Estate Owner, the Late Emilio Wilson’s Great Grandmother is also buried there. She also was a slave on said plantation.

3. Part of Kenepa Garden was also used as a Negro Grounds garden on which provision was planted.

The Slave Paths to the Sentry Hill

1. The Slave Paths to Sentry Hill runs through Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park, Kenepa Garden and partly through Rockland and Lime Piece to the caves. The caves were mostly used as shelters in time of hurricane and other means such as the hiding spot for One Tété Lohkey.

Based on all these important facts and data of which more information is available on the St. Maarten Museum on Front Street and Kadaster office on Back Street in the old documents and manuscripts, the Save Emilio Wilson Committee is calling for the entire property to be zoned by government as a historical landmark for the people.

The committee is requesting that not only the buildings and ruins be saved but the entire area as we fear that residential lots will put a strain on the delicate monuments located on the property.

We also fear that the sub division will also put a heavy environmental strain on Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park, the Dutch side’s only “green” public park.

It is indicated in the request for the planning permit for the area that the land used by Emilio Wilson Historical and Cultural Park as a parking area and a soccer field for children especially those of St. Dominic School and a shooting range for the Voluntary Korps of St. Maarten (VKS) and the police will also be subdivided for residential purposes.

If this goes ahead, there will be no parking for events such as weddings, St. Maarten Day celebrations and other festivities, a soccer field for the island’s children or a shooting range for our law enforcement officials.

We are hoping that the Executive Council sees the importance of preserving the entire property as a Cultural and Historical Park for the St. Maarten people to learn and appreciate our history as where we came from.

Sincerely,

H.L. SOON
President of Save the Emilio Wilson Committee

Andre Patrick
Vice President of Save the Emilio Wilson Committee

Jadira Veen
2nd. Vice President/Secretary of Save the Emilio Wilson Committee

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