Habitation Clement is THE place to visit absolutely from Martinique. Throughout its history, what it represents for Martinique's past and present, this symbolic place will immerse you in the heart of the history of Martinique. Habitation Clement is a former sugar plantation. In 1996, it was classified as a historical monument. The property, on an area of approximately 300 hectares, is called Domaine de l'Acajou.
Originally called "Habitation Acajou" by its first owners, Louis Hodebourg Desbrosses and Simon de Bassigny, Habitation housing was bought in 1887 by the Mayor of François, Homere Clement. Homere Clement was a descendant of a freed slave. First, he cultivates sugar cane, which he sells to the factory of François. Then, in 1917, following an order, he was allowed to build a small distillery.
When he died in 1923, his son Charles, an engineer who graduated from the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris and the Institut Pasteur, took over the business and worked to improve the quality (fermentation and distillation) of agricultural rums. He created the Acajou brand in the 1930s and Clément in the 1940s.
The company prospered until the 1980s before experiencing economic difficulties. It was bought by the Bernard Hayot Group in 1986. It was then that it definitively took the name “Habitation Clément” in tribute to the family that had made it prosper.
In 1991, following the Gulf War, it was a meeting place of prestige between the President of the French Republic at the time, François Mitterrand, and the President of the United States, George Bush.
Today, it is divided into three parts:
- the former Clément rum distillery, which is now a museum,
- the Clément rum aging cellars, which are still in use, and
- residential buildings, some of which are open to visitors.
You can also see many tropical plants and trees over an area of 17 hectares. The tour is free but paid and is done through audioguides freely distributed at the beginning of the visit.
