Location: Patillas
Date Established: 1905
Date Ceased Operations: 1917​
Average Annual Production: N/A
Best Production Year: N/A
Family Ownership: Alcaide, McCormick, Verges, Riefkohl
Corporate Ownership: Providencia Central Co.

Central Providencia was originally a sugar factory known as Ingenio Rio Chico owned by Naguabo born Modesto Bird León (1837-1918), the brother of Jorge Bird León (1828-1911) who was instrumental in the organization of Central Fajardo.  It was located in the Providencia Sector of Barrio Pollos of Patillas, some 500m south of the intersection of PR-3 and PR-757 crossing Mamey Creek.  

Plans to establish a sugar mill in Patillas began in 1901 by Fantauzzi Hnos., Carlos McCormick Hartman of A. Hartman & Co. and Luis Francisco Vergés Ramú.  The original plan did not materialize when Fantauzzi Hnos. decided to build Central Lafayette in Arroyo.  However,  McCormick and Vergés continued planning the venture on their own.  They brought in local investors, raised capital in New York and ordered the machinery from Glasgow, Scotland.  McCormick purchased part of the land of Hacienda Carlota in Guayama and lands previously belonging to Hacienda Enriqueta and Hacienda Concordia in Arroyo.  In the beginning Central Providencia assumed control of over seven hundred sixty three cuerdas.  Later, the Enriqueta Land Co. was formed to administer the land acquired.

Ingenio Rio Chico was acquired in 1902 by Providencia Central Co.   The principal shareholders of the new corporation were Guillermo Riefkohl Mourier (1862-1920) who was its administrator, Luis Francisco Vergés Ramu (1869-1910), Guillermo McCormick Hartman (1861-1907) and Antonio S. Alcaide Baiz (1863- ) who's wife was Estella Riefkohl Mourier (1863-1942).  At the time Central Providencia was established, Vergés and and Riefkhol had ownership interests in Central Columbia and later on, McCormick, Vergés and Alcaide also had ownership interests in Central Machete.

It appears that by 1909 Providencia Central Co. had run into financial difficulties.  The American Sugar Industry and Beet Sugar Gazette in its November 1909 edition states: "The old Central Providencia, situated in Sabana Llana, has been put up for sale in a court auction for collection of moneys, and a matter of some 1,200 acres of cane lands are thus on the market."  It is possible this citation was in error as the reference of "old" would not apply as this was a relatively new venture in 1909 and Central Providencia was not located in Sabana Llana.  Notwithstanding, if that was the case they overcame any issues that year.

According to this letter from William Riefkohl to one of Providencia Central Co. shareholders, in November 1918, its machinery, including the steel building it was housed in, was sold for $100,000 to Antonio Costa Semidey a coffee farmer from Coamo, José R. Nieves and Italian immigrant from Villa San Secondo, Asti Enrique Veglio Merle (1873-1937) a sugarcane farmer from Patillas.  The buyers turned around and sold the goods to Central Monte Llano in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic where they were installed on time for its first grinding season in 1923. 

The 1917 grinding season would be its last.  As stated above, The Providencia Central Co. bought back shares from some of its investors but the principal shareholders continued growing sugarcane on its land which was then processsed at Central Lafayette in Arroyo. 

According to Gloria Tapia Rios in her book La Central Lafayette: Riqueza, Desarrollo y Politica en el Sureste de Puerto Rico, after the closure of Central Providencia in 1917, sugarcane grown on its lands was processed at Central Lafayette under a "colono" agreement.   In late 1928 or early 1929 after the passage of Hurricane San Felipe, Sucrs. Fantauzzi Hnos. acquired the lands of Providencia Central Company mainly for its railroad system.  This allowed the Fantauzzi's to transport the sugarcane previously processed at their recently closed Central Columbia in Maunabo to be processed at their Central Lafayette in Arroyo. 

According to a 2015 study by the Government of PR, at the time of the study several structures related to the sugar mill were still standing including a crane, several houses and part of the irrigation system, however, these structures do not seem to exist any more. A big thank you goes out to Richard del Rio, a descendant of the Vergés and Riefkohl families, who contributed valuable information regarding Central Providencia as well as Central Columbia and who most graciously contributed the letter linked above and the pictures below.