Holy Redeemer with a chicle and coconut warehouse opposite, Belize City long ago
The chicle would be collected and shipped to Belize City in pitpans or on the Cayo boats which started to operate around 1904. The steeples you see on the Cathedral in this photo were destroyed in the 1931 hurricane so I would guess that the the photo was taken between 1904 and 1931.
Holy Redeemer is made entirely of red bricks as shown in the photograph, but was plastered over sometime after the 1931 hurricane to preserve it they thought. I wonder why because St. John's is not plastered and still going strong. The red brick was exposed when some repairs were being done on the main entrance.
The Thurnton Chicle warehouse is the warehouse is where Bottom dollar is today. It was for chicle and copra (coconut with out the husk).
You can smell the burst coconut when you pass the door
It was dark inside and the backdoor was open to the mouth of the sea. You used to see blocks of chicle in that building. The warehouse in front of the Church was set back from the street (North Front Street) to allow trucks and "Mule & Carts" to come in and pick up items. I don't remember who owned the Warehouse - probably, Melhado. The Canal running alongside the warehouse and the church ran from the Haulover Creek (or Belize River as we had known it to be) all the way to the sea-shore by the Hospital on Eve Street. On the other side of the Canal where the people are standing and the boats are locked, was an open empty yard, fenced around, except along the River (Creek), all the way to Hyde's Lane. Of course Hyde's Lane divided the lot and Turton's Office, as it went to the Riverside and contained a s..t-house, or whatever it was called then. By the way, the empty lot was in front of Holy Redeemer School and there were always some old junk metallic junk sprawl in it. Always seem dangerous to play in. Henced fenced.
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