Helena, Guyana
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Helena is a village in the
Demerara-Mahaica Demerara-Mahaica (Region 4) is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Mahaica-Berbice to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the ...
Region of
Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...
. Administratively the village is subdivided in Helena No.1 and Helena No.2 and is part of the
Mahaica Mahaica is a village located in region 4 of Demerara-Mahaica in Guyana. Mahaica is often used as a subregion for the adjoining villages near the Mahaica River like Hand-en-Veldt, Good Hope, Chelsey Park, and Jonestown The Peoples Temple Ag ...
subregion.


History

Helena started as a sugar
plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...
. By 1896, the plantation was abandoned and purchased by the government of
British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...
to be divided into small lots. The settlement initially suffered from neglect, because many of the owners did not live in the village. In 1848, construction started on the
Demerara-Berbice Railway The Railways of Guyana comprised two public railways, the Demerara-Berbice Railway and the Demerara-Essequibo Railway. There are also several industrial railways mainly for the bauxite industry. The Demerara-Berbice Railway is the oldest in South ...
linking Georgetown with
New Amsterdam New Amsterdam (, ) was a 17th-century Dutch Empire, Dutch settlement established at the southern tip of Manhattan Island that served as the seat of the colonial government in New Netherland. The initial trading ''Factory (trading post), fac ...
. In August 1864, the railway reached Helena where the Mahaica station opened. The station remained the terminus until 1890 when work resumed. The railway closed in 1972.


Overview

The economy of Helena is mainly based on farming. Helena has a primary school, and a private secondary school. The village has one church and two
mandirs A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...
. In 2008, a statue of Sir James Douglas, the first governor of
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, was unveiled in front of the former railroad station, because he was born and raised in the region.


References

Populated places in Demerara-Mahaica {{Guyana-geo-stub