By 1896, the plantation was abandoned and purchased by the government of British Guiana to be divided into small lots.

The settlement initially suffered from neglect, because many of the owners did not live in the village.

[3] In 1848, construction started on the Demerara-Berbice Railway linking Georgetown with New Amsterdam.

[4] In August 1864, the railway reached Helena where the Mahaica station opened.

[2] In 2008, a statue of Sir James Douglas, the first governor of British Columbia, was unveiled in front of the former railroad station, because he was born and raised in the region.