La Mahaudière Windmill

Windmill - Anse-Bertrand

Located at the exit of the Campêche section near the departmental road 120, on the former La Mahaudière sugar plantation, important distillery and sugar refinery in the XIXth century, with an average production of 365 hectoliters of rum per year, this mill is built in a traditional way with a 6 m high tower and a frustoconical barrel is one of the remains of the place, with the chimney of the sugar refinery and part of the mansion. Recently renovated, it now houses the Sainte-Thérèse Chapel. La Mahaudière sugar plantation, named after its owner Douillard Mahaudière, its 450 ha estate already existed in 1764.
Its windmill seems to be one of the oldest parts. Remains of the old sugar refinery, the yellow brick chimney whose rubble base would be prior to 1843 (date of the earthquake) while the brick barrel dates from the 1850s. In 1865, the house was still functioning without steam it is after this date that it will be equipped with a crew of 4 boilers.
La Mahaudière was the scene of a dark affair that gave rise to one of the most famous lawsuits in the history of Guadeloupe opposing in 1840 the owner to the slave Lucille he had chained and put in a dungeon because he is suspected of poisoning his wife. The house will be sold in 1846, then receded several times to have no more distilling around 1930.