Before the company started by Joseph Samuel (J.S.) Johnson became one of the largest insurance outfits in The Bahamas, its main business was growing sisal and canning pineapple.
All that's left of that operation is a crumbling stone structure that was once the kitchen, a chimney and part of the main house.
However, the physical remnants of that legacy could be erased in the near future if plans to demolish the heritage site on John F. Kennedy Drive (JFK), where the company canned up to 75,000 cases of pineapple per year in the mid-1800s, is torn down.
Antiquities, Monuments and Museums Corporation (AMMC) Chairman Dean Patrick Adderley said yesterday the highway being built in the area of Gladstone Road and JFK as a part of the Airport Gateway Project will go right through the site.
"Concerns have been expressed about its preservation but because of the road coming through, it has to be removed and there is no way it can be fully saved because the road can't go any higher due to the geographic limitations," Adderley told The Nassau Guardian.
"It is a concern we have also expressed to the Ministry of Works but it is one of those situations where there is not much that can be done. Also another thing would have been to try and take down the buildings, but that type of material makes it very difficult. But we are looking at it from all points of view."
AMMC archeologist Michael Pateman said saving the ruins "would almost be an impossible feat" based on the engineering costs involved in removing them, and because the ruins are mostly made from rubble.
He also said the ruins are significant because they help historians understand post-slavery economics in The Bahamas.
However, he indicated that his team is in the process of drafting several recommendations for the government.
"It has been suggested that a monument be created to commemorate the ruins, [and rebuild] a portion of the ruins in one of the many roundabouts that are going to be constructed on the new highway," Pateman said.
"[It will] include some signage about the history of the ruins so that the history itself is not lost. Any attempt at trying to keep the building together and moving it would cause the walls to just fall apart."
He added, "Any time you have a historic building destroyed you do lose a small aspect of history. But I think the government will be making a good effort to create the monument and the signage somewhat saving that history. We are specifically thinking about saving the chimney structure itself because that's the most standout architectural feature of the ruins. Not saving the whole facility would be a loss, but not a tragic loss."
Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Charles Maynard said yesterday while there has been no final decision made on the matter he was awaiting the final report from the corporation. He said although he had viewed the general road layout planned by the Airport Gateway Project he did not have all the relevant details and specifics at this time.
"The Antiquities Corporation has done ]its] analysis and [is] making some recommendations to the government for consideration," Maynard said.
Pateman pointed out that the corporation has studied, photographed, measured and made all necessary drawings to ensure that although the site may be lost, the information regarding its rich history would not.

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