Serpon Sugar Mill is an historical site in Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

, consisting of the remnants of a steam-powered sugar mill whose constructed in 1865 marked the beginning of the country's industrial era. It is located near the village of Sittee River

Sittee River

The Sittee River is a river in Belize.Located in central Belize, the mangroves located at the mouth of this river are the tallest ever reported for the Caribbean region and among the tallest anywhere in the entire Neotropics. The mouth of the Sittee River represents the optimal conditions for...

 in the Stann Creek

Stann Creek District

Stann Creek District is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2010 census, the district had a population of 32,166 people...

 district.

The cultivation of sugar cane was introduced to Belize, then a British colony

British Honduras

British Honduras was a British colony that is now the independent nation of Belize.First colonised by Spaniards in the 17th century, the territory on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico, became a British crown colony from 1862 until 1964, when it became self-governing. Belize became...

, in 1848 by the Maya and Mestizo

Mestizo

Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America, Philippines and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent...

 refugees fleeing from the Caste War

Caste War of Yucatán

The Caste War of Yucatán began with the revolt of native Maya people of Yucatán, Mexico against the population of European descent, called Yucatecos, who held political and economic control of the region. A lengthy war ensued between the Yucateco forces in the north-west of the Yucatán and the...

 in the Yucatán Peninsula

Yucatán Peninsula

The Yucatán Peninsula, in southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico, with the northern coastline on the Yucatán Channel...

. After the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 in 1865, American immigrants from the southern United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 invested heavily in sugar plantations and small sugar mills throughout southern Belize.

Serpon Estate was bought by a Scottish man named William Bowman. In 1863, Bowman and the owners of another estate, Regalia, began construction on two steam-powered mills, marking the arrival of the industrial era in Belize. Parts of the sugar mill at Serpon were manufactured by Stewart and Company in Glasgow, and its crusher

Crusher

A crusher is a machine designed to reduce large rocks into smaller rocks, gravel, or rock dust. Crushers may be used to reduce the size, or change the form, of waste materials so they can be more easily disposed of or recycled, or to reduce the size of a solid mix of raw materials , so that pieces...

, boiler

Boiler

A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

, beam engine

Beam engine

A beam engine is a type of steam engine where a pivoted overhead beam is used to apply the force from a vertical piston to a vertical connecting rod. This configuration, with the engine directly driving a pump, was first used by Thomas Newcomen around 1705 to remove water from mines in Cornwall...

 and furnace

Furnace

A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...

 were all powered by steam. During its peak, it is estimated that the Serpon sugar mill was producing and shipping over 770 kilograms of sugar a month. This and the output from the Regalia mill is said to have fuelled Belize's economy

Economy of Belize

The economy of Belize depended on forestry until well into the 20th century. Logwood, used to make dye, was Belize's initial main export. However, the supply outstripped the demand, especially as Europeans developed man-made dyes which were less expensive. Loggers turned to mahogany, which grew...

 for about 30 years.

By the start of the 20th century, however, sugar production was found to be more profitable in the Corozal

Corozal District

Corozal District is the northernmost district of the nation of Belize. The population was 33,335 as of 2000. The district capital is Corozal Town.-The Villages of Corozal District:...

 and Orange Walk

Orange Walk District

Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town.- Main settlements :...

 districts, which led to the abandonment of the Serpon and Regalia mills in 1910.

In 2009, the ruins of the Serpon Sugar Mill were designated an archaeological reserve.