From the time of settlement St. Kitts was developed as a plantation island. At first the plantations were small and produced such commodities as tobacco, cotton, and indigo. Over the 17th century sugar cane started gaining ground. It took a while for it to become the main and only crop because it required a great deal more investment than other crops.
Sugar cane was introduced in St. Kitts in 1643, and it became as valuable as oil is today. Control of the Caribbean sugar islands sent European armies and navies to war, and sugar built empires. By 1775, with 200 estates producing sugar, St. Kitts was the wealthiest of the British possessions. But when the price of sugar plummeted and the last “sugar train” rattled into the yard and the factory machinery was shut down on July 31, 2005, bringing an end to over 350 years of sugar production on the island.
But the “Sugar Train” survived. In a unique partnership between Government and private enterprise, the privately–owned St. Kitts Scenic Railway started running tourist excursions on January 28, 2003. It now proudly carries the national flag as the “Last Railway in the West Indies”, a living link to a past when sugar ruled the island's economy.
The Wingfield Estate is a former sugar plantation founded in 1625. On the grounds are the picturesque ruins of the sugar and rum production. This includes the lime kiln, St Kitts’ tallest stone chimney (step inside for a cool view), and an aqueduct that powered the mill.
There is also an excavation of one of the earliest rum stills in the New World where it is reported that Thomas Jefferson’s great, great, great grandfather sipped from.
Wingfield is also the home of Old Road Rum . For a small fee, you will be given a detailed tour and tasting of this imported rum made for them. For those that wish to learn and appreciate rum, take the one-hour “sommelier style” class
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