Recreating Betty’s Hope Sugar Plantation Through Geographic Information System (GIS)

Summary

Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies have advanced archaeological investigations through the use of analytical tools in conjunction with global positioning. Such work has provided insights to archaeologists who research land use patterns over time. This research project focuses on recreating the landscape at Betty’s Hope sugar plantation in Antigua, West Indies through GIS. With the aid of historic survey maps, Global Positioning System (GPS), ground survey, and the historical archives, GIS technology is capable of creating a three-dimensional model of the plantation great house, ancillary structures and surrounding lands. The aim of this work is to better understand what Betty’s Hope looked like as a sugar plantation with sugar works and a rum distillery, and to create a foundation for future research investigating labor and social theories in this plantation context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2014   •
• Historical Archaeology in the Caribbean: New Directions and Current Perspectives

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): SYM-6,07