Explore the fort...
Franklin House Courtyard (circa 1600) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
A Portuguese trading post
Franklin House, also known as Fort Vicentia, was built in 1660 by the Portuguese to facilitate their trade on what they called the Gold Coast, now Ghana. The house is reputed to have later become a private slave fort, with an auction area and holding rooms. Previously, a tunnel that led to the sea could be seen exposed in the house.
Shackles, lamps and a cannonball
The fort is made of earthen brownstone brick, bound with lime mortar. Over the years, the house was used for a variety of activities. Aspects of the building suggest its use for the imprisonment of captives during the period of the transatlantic slave trade. The discovery of shackles, lamps and a cannonball by its current owners at the site give some credence to this narrative.
Franklin House Courtyard (2020) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
A 20th century family house
The architectural style, stratification of different building materials and a variety of other features attest to the house's use by various groups for different purposes. It became known as Franklin House in the 20th century when Mr. Harry Verney Alfred Franklin, a British solicitor purchased the house as a family residence in 1949. The family lived on the first floor which at the time had a roof and was habitable.
Auction Space (2020) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
Was this an auction block?
The courtyard of the fort is created by outhouses on either side of the main building. A semi-circular platform in the middle of the courtyard is presumed to have contained an auction block during the period of the transatlantic slave trade.
The circular platform is opposite the main house, which is a two-story building with four holding rooms on the ground floor. A review of written records, the house’s design and architecture and interviews with members of the community suggest that it was used for trading human captives during the era of the transatlantic slave trade.
Holding Rooms (2020) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
Evidence of a painful past
There are four holding rooms on the ground floor of the Franklin House. It appears that several metal bars were used to secure the facility as a prison for enslaved captives.
Remains of Metal Bars in Holding Room (2020) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
The remains of huge metal bars can be seen embedded in the floor of the building. They are evidence that the rooms were used as prison cells most likely to ensure enslaved persons did not escape.
Feeding Hole (2020) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
Colonialism built into the architecture
Holes in the walls of the dungeons are believed to have been used as feeding holes through which food was supplied to enslaved people especially when they resisted captivity.
Hole in the Wall (2020) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
They could also have been used for observing enslaved captives by kidnappers, owners or potential buyers.
View of the Old Jamestown Fishing Harbour (2020) by HACSA FoundationHeritage and Cultural Society of Africa Foundation
Remains of the fort
After the Franklin family purchased the fort in 1949, they made some changes, including building a wall to enclose and protect the house from the beach and the sea. In 2007 the effects of sea erosion resulted in the collapse of the wall. Relics of the wall are still present at the site. The view behind the house is of the old Jamestown fishing harbour.
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