Boggy Peak, named Mount Obama from 2009 to 2016, is the highest point of the

Shekerley Mountains The Shekerley Mountains are a low mountain range on southwestern Antigua island, in the nation of Antigua and Barbuda and the Leeward Islands of the eastern Caribbean. Geography The range stretches for along the south coast of the island, fro ...

on the island of

Antigua Antigua ( ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the native population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Bar ...

. It lies in the southwest region of the island, and rises to a height of .

History

The area has significant cultural heritage as it was used during

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

times for

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...

plantations. The name originated from slave masters telling stories about the dangers of the Boogie Man who took spirits and lived up in the mountains. This was to discourage slaves from escaping and running into the mountains. Runaways were able to make their own settlements in the mountains and actually live out their lives apart from enslavement. On August 4, 2009, the peak was renamed Mount Obama by then-Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer, after

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

president

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. The original name was restored in 2016 by cabinet decision.

References

Landforms of Antigua and Barbuda Saint Mary Parish, Antigua and Barbuda Mountains of the Caribbean Highest points of countries Monuments to Barack Obama {{Antigua-geo-stub