Following the move of the historic Louise Llewellyn house from its location in the heart of George Town to Bobby Thompson Way, several historical items were found in the ground under where the house had stood.
After the house had been moved, Stuart Wilson, historic programmes manager for the National Trust for the Cayman Islands, got permission from the property developer for a scan of the property.
Volunteers arrived with a metal detector and several items were recovered, including a musket ball, pieces of pottery and pipe stems and bowls from old clay pipes.
A young volunteer named Victoria Bouck located the brass button and several other items. “My father is really interested in Cayman history and heritage, and he brought me along. It was fun and I am glad we were able to save these things before they built the parking lot where the house once stood.”
Wilson subsequently received permission from the developer to allow the artifacts to be donated to the Cayman Islands National Museum.
With workers already prepping the site, the window for an investigation was short, but the developer also allowed access to the pile of soil that was relocated from the property where the 150-year old house stood, and over the past weekend, a number of volunteers proceeded to sift the soil. This technique yielded several other artifacts, including another musket ball, some old porcelain and several three-hole buttons. All of these artifacts were handed over to the National Museum.
According to Wilson, the old home in George Town was occasionally used as a boarding house where visiting seamen, pastors and missionaries stayed during their time in Grand Cayman.
Working alongside the property developer, the National Trust and Wilson were instrumental in helping to save the old traditional Cayman home, and with the support of the Ministry of Culture, they managed to get the old home moved to another suitable location.
Related Videos
