Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2019 | Page 490

Saba Culture and Nature Tourism This is the second of a two-part series, submitted by Dr René Caderius van Veen, on the island of Saba. In 2014, Dr. René Caderius van Veen started a museum in one of Saba’s traditional cottages. It was the foundation of the Dutch Museum Saba which now exhibits antiques from the period 1600-1850. Dr Caderius van Veen also collects data about the shared history between Saba and the Netherlands during the period 1640 - 1800. Videos and PowerPoint presentations about that period which was partly dominated by the West India Company (WIC) are also in evidence. On your visit to Saba, be sure to stop in at the Dutch Museum which is located on Park Lane Street 12, Windwardside. The patron, Dr. Caderius van Veen will be there to share Saba’s interesting history with you. Archeology About 40 years ago, Leiden University, Professor Corinne Hofman, started excavations on Saba to discover more of pre-Columbian history. This special work is now being continued by Ryan Esperson PhD, a top archaeologist, who started as a teacher at the Comprehensive School on Saba but has now completed his PhD. He organized a group called SABARC with the school. That group still exists and that work of digging out excavations is still going on. Some of the results that can be mentioned are the traces of sugar plantations at Spring Bay, sugar ovens at Flat Point, excavations at the then demolished and abandoned home of Mary's Point and much more. He has established the Saba Heritage Center, which mainly focuses on the results of research on traces of Amerindians, on Saba. This Saba Heritage Center is also located in Windwardside but you can also visit the archaeological sites, including the Spring Bay Trail. Ryan Esperson, together with the Saba Conservation Foundation, also plays an important role in the establishment of the Mount Scenery National Park. Approximately 1/3 of the island on the north side will therefore be protected.