Crumbling old bricks overgrown with bush can be seen so commonly around the Virgin Islands that at times, they’re easy to dismiss. To judge by all the trash that can be seen strewn around some ruins, the sites are worth very little indeed to some.
But others in the territory want to change that.
“These old sites can be of value today,” said Mitch Kent, an archaeologist and lecturer at H. Lavity Stoutt Community College, when he gave a talk on Tortola’s fortifications at the Royal BVI Yacht Club on April 7. He told the crowd that the sites can help preserve VI culture for future generations.
For now, volunteers are starting with Fort Purcell, once the biggest fortification on Tortola, now known as “the Dungeon.”
On Saturday at 10 a.m., they plan to meet at the fort, which is just west of Havers, to start clearing it out. The public is welcome to attend.
See the April 28, 2011 edition for full coverage.