First map entry 1768 (≈ 1768)
Site named *L'Esperance* by the king's engineers.
1778
Acquisition by the widow Mamil
Acquisition by the widow Mamil 1778 (≈ 1778)
Catherine Godemar Reverchon became its owner.
1810
Construction of the master's house
Construction of the master's house 1810 (≈ 1810)
Main building built on the morne.
1863
Modernisation with steam machines
Modernisation with steam machines 1863 (≈ 1863)
20-year contract with the Darboussier factory.
2006
Registration for historical monuments
Registration for historical monuments 2006 (≈ 2006)
Protection of the ancient parts and the morne.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The old parts of the main house of the dwelling, the facades and roofs of the appendices kitchen and water box and the land base constituting the morne (Box BX 34): inscription by order of 20 April 2006
Key figures
Catherine Françoise Godemar Reverchon (veuve Mamiel) - Owner in the 18th century
Acquired housing in 1778.
Camille Dain - Executive of Darboussier and Mayor
Accommodation on the estate from 1900 to 1934.
Origin and history
The Mamil dwelling, located in Abymes sur Grande-Terre in Guadeloupe, is a former colonial home-sucrerie founded in the 18th century. The site was mentioned in 1768 as L'Espérance on the maps of the king's engineers. In 1778, he passed into the hands of Catherine Françoise Godemar Reverchon, widow Mamil, who made it an important holding producing tarred sugar thanks to a windmill, which had now disappeared. This area illustrates the typical plantation economy of Guadeloupe in colonial times, focusing on the cultivation of sugar cane.
In the 19th century, the house was modernized with the installation of steam machines in 1863. The owners then commit themselves to supply their cane production to the Darboussier factory for 20 years, marking a turning point towards increasing industrialization. Gradually, the production buildings are abandoned, and Darboussier buys the estate. Between 1900 and 1934 he housed his cadres, including Camille Dain, also mayor of the Abymes. This period reflects the transition between the autonomous housing age and the centralization of sugar production.
The master's house, built around 1810, is a remarkable example of Creole architecture, with its eight rooms and its outdoor gallery opening onto a garden. The site preserves remains of the sugar factory, such as mining buildings and machine remains, as well as period interior elements such as a Second Empire sofa and a copper bathtub. Registered as a historical monument in 2006, the Mamil house offers a rare testimony of the sugar houses of Grande-Terre in the 19th century, mixing architectural heritage and industrial memory.
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