An historical site in an Over-the-Hill neighborhood is set to get a much needed facelift.
For years, the gravesite of businessman, developer and co-founder of the Bain Town community Alexander Bain II has been neglected.

“Look at the gravesite,” President of the Bain and Grants Town Advancement Association Rev. Dr. C.B. Moss said pointing. “It is a shame and a national disgrace that what should be a monument of great pride and historic importance to Bahamians – particularly former and current residents of Bain Town – is an old unkempt, broken-down, dilapidated eyesore.

“Some time ago following the discovery of the gravesite, our organisation approached the Antiquities, Monuments and Museum Corporation with a proposal to partner with us in the repair, refurbishment and establishment of this gravesite as a landmark in the historic community of Bain Town. We are confident that this joint effort will result in the success of this effort. We must preserve our past while building our future.”

The association is hoping to get a jump start of this by hosting a cultural extravaganza at the Performing Arts Centre on Shirley Street on May 10.

Held under the theme “Celebrating Our Cultural Heritage,” the event will feature artists and performers from the Bain and Grants Town community.

It is the first in a series of fundraisers, the proceeds of which will be used for the repair and renovations of monuments, parks and other cultural sites in inner city area.

According to Rev. Moss, the first project will be the repair and refurbishment of Mr. Bain’s gravesite.

Mr. Bain II was born in 1812 to a loyalist Scottish resident and an African woman, making him a mulatto.

He was born and grew up in the vicinity of Augusta and West Bay Streets, near the building which once housed Davanci and Chez Willie restaurants and recently purchased and renovated by web shop boss, Craig Flowers.

According to Rev. Moss, Mr. Bain and his half-brother Charles Henry Bain became business partners.

“When the government was unable to pay them cash, it gave them crown land. They also made a fortune supplying blockade runners during the American Civil War, in the process becoming among the wealthiest Bahamians,” he said.

In the early 1840’s, the brothers purchased the 166-acre Witherspoon Estates, which they divided into small lots and sold to free and liberated Africans as well as their descendants.

This area was named Bain Town.

Mr. Bain died in 1891.