Preserving Saint Kitts and History

A Step Back in Time
In 1492, the first European to see St. Kitts was Christopher Columbus, who is said to have called the island St. Christopher, which was later shortened to St. Kitts.  The island has the distinction of being the first British and the first French colony in the Caribbean, which was a springboard for English and French colonialism throughout the region.
Tobacco, cotton and indigo have all been grown but it was the arrival of sugar cane in the early 17th century which saw St. Kitts yield a fortune for its wealthy landowners.  By 1775, it had as many as 68 plantations, one for every square mile.  The sugar industry continued until 2005 when the economy’s focus was switched to tourism on account of falling sugar prices.  A new era was then born with tourism as the focus.

Our St. Kitts Today
St. Kitts, along with its sister island Nevis, is the smallest sovereign state in the Americas, both in area and population.  It’s rich heritage can be experienced in various experiences including the Scenic Railway tour, which is a transformation of the sugar cane railway; the National Museum in the old Treasury Building in the capital Basseterre was the ‘Gateway to the Island’ by when arriving by sea; the mighty 800-ft high Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park was the battleground for defending St. Kitts in the 17th and 18th century.