Carriacou Museum: A Window to the Isle of Reefs

The Carriacou Museum, located on Paterson Street in Hillsborough, is a treasure trove of the island's history and traditions. Founded in 1976, the museum has been in its current home, a restored cotton ginnery (the second oldest in the world), since 1989. The building itself is of historical interest, having ceased operating as a ginnery in 1979.The museum's extensive collection includes Amerindian and African artifacts, offering insights into the island's earliest inhabitants and cultural influences. Exhibits trace the early British and French occupation of the islands, along with displays dedicated to the African influence, such as the Big Drum tradition. Visitors can also view documents, furniture, glassware, and pottery from colonial times. A display upstairs is dedicated to local artist Canute Caliste.Ms. Clemencia Alexander, the Museum curator, may offer a guided tour of the Museum where you will find an extensive collection of Amerindian and African artifacts. Documents, furniture, glassware, and pottery from the colonial era are also displayed. Most of the artifacts were found on archaeological digs on the island. You will have the opportunity to closely examine and even handle some of the pieces.The museum also hosts field trips for school classes from Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. A gift shop offers historical prints, local arts and crafts, T-shirts, books about the island's culture, and music CDs of Carriacou festivals.