HISTORY of the Municipality of LE MARIN
The municipality of Le Marin is one of the oldest inhabited sites in Martinique. It was formerly called "Cul-de-Sac de Saint-Etienne du Marin" and had 199 inhabitants during the first census ordered by Colbert in 1664, formed by Sainte-Anne and itself.
Colonized in the 17th century, the town saw its port grow very quickly, leading to the development of maritime trade.
Located in the south of Martinique and bordered by the sea, Le Marin was one of the many entry points that the English wanted to use to steal Martinique from the French. It was the scene of numerous naval battles between the French and the British.
After the town was rebuilt following its destruction by the English, 60 militiamen from Le Marin participated in the "gaoulé" (revolt) of Diamant, led by Captain Henri Saint-Amour.
Count d'Ennery laid the first stone of the church in the town of Le Marin after another English attack.
In 1728, Sainte-Anne, having obtained its independence, separated from Le Marin, which, three years later, became the capital of the department to which it belonged and also possessed a royal lieutenancy. With a port (the current marina), Le Marin primarily traded by sea while not neglecting its agricultural activities.
It was in 1839 that it was established as a municipality, and its first mayor, Jean-Baptiste Pelet de Lautrec, was elected.
Woodworking became a real industry around 1868.
The following year, the establishment of the sugar factory of Le Marin brought a certain dynamism to the municipality, which now concentrated all the economic activity produced by the 120 other factories in the region.
The sugar crisis that Martinique experienced in 1969 brought an end to this activity. However, Le Marin did not lose its attractiveness and became the sub-prefecture of the southern part of the island.
It was near this factory that the incident at the origin of the "Southern Insurrection" took place: a conflict that highlighted the ravages of racism and colonization. Several sugar plantations were set on fire in Rivière-Pilote, and the movement was crushed in blood by the government.
In the 1970s, the disappearance of the sugar economy was hastened by the difficulties in the agricultural world.
