Overview
Belize City is rich with history…some known and some unknowable. Sadly, many of the old buildings have been washed away in hurricanes, and others have succumbed to the heat and humidity, but a few still stand, a silent testament to Belizeans’ strength and resilience. And the few buildings that are still standing sing untold stories of the first trading posts.
The home of the Cork Street Whiskey Bar is one of the few still standing. It was built in the 1800s to house managers from the Belize Estate and Produce Company (“BEC”), once the largest landholder in the country, which for decades exported Belizean mahogany and tropical hardwoods. BEC was purchased in 1983 by Bowen & Bowen, and with help from the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, and other environmental groups, have since ensured over half a million acres are protected in perpetuity in trust for the people of Belize.
This building is the easternmost house in Belize City and was originally built on an island, which later, with a massive dredging project, was connected to the mainland. It survived major hurricanes; The 1931 British Honduras Hurricane, Hurricane Hattie in 1961, and Hurricane Keith in 2000.
If these walls could talk, they would tell many stories. Over the years, the children who grew up here have shared their memories of happy times in this lovely old house. And several residents and visitors have shared tales of seeing the apparition of a woman dressed in white, usually ascending the stairs in the dark of night. We know nothing of her story, but we pour her a shot each Friday night and hope that she enjoys the warmth and conviviality of the Cork Street Whiskey Bar... And we hope you do too.
