Celebrating Jamaica's Best

THE WEEKLY GLEANER | JULY 30 - AUGUST 5, 2020 | www.jamaica-gleaner.com | I CLAUDE MCKAY’S BIRTHPLACE Parish: Clarendon Claude McKay, internationally acclaimed writer and poet, was born in the year 1889 in James Hill, Clarendon. Upon completing elementary school he was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker and wheelwright in Browns Town, St Ann. In 1910 he went to Kingston, where he joined the island’s constabulary force. His stint, in the force, though short, was not without its adventure. In 1912 his first volumes of poems, Songs of Jamaica and Constab Ballads, for which he was awarded the Silver Musgrave Medal of the Institute of Jamaica, were published. He migrated to the United States where he became one of the leading writers of the HARLEMNEGRO RENAISSANCE. In 1948McKay died in Chicago and was buried in New York. In 1977 the Government on behalf of the peo- ple of Jamaica posthumously awarded Claude McKay the Order of Jamaica in respect and ad- miration for his great contribution to literature. TRYALL GREAT HOUSE Parish: Hanover The Tryall Estate is on the main road between Hopewell and Sandy Bay, Hanover, just bordering the golf course there. It has been maintained as an attraction with a Golf Course, Tennis and Beach Club. The International JohnnyWalker Golf Tournament was held here annually until 1996. EAST QUEEN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH Parish: Kingston The East Queen Street Baptist Church is one of several historic churches in Kingston. Dedicated on January 22, 1822, the church had the largest Baptist membership in the world (2937 members) at the time of its dedication. KENDAL RAILWAY TRAGEDY Parish: Manchester The worst railway disaster in Jamaica’s history, happened close to this spot on September 1, 1957. At around 11:30 p.m. a train carrying some 1,600 passengers derailed its tracks. Close to 200 persons lost their lives. Varying accounts indicate that between 400 and 700 persons sustained injuries in what was described as the worst trans- portation system tragedy in Jamaica’s history, and the second worst rail disaster in the world at the time. FOLLY POINT LIGHTHOUSE Parish: Portland The Folly Point Lighthouse was built in 1888. The Tower is constructed of masonry and is fire proof. It flashes a white light of 2 seconds duration followed by 8 seconds of darkness. The light is visible for a distance of thirteen miles. CINCHONA BOTANICAL GARDENS Parish: St Andrew At an altitude of between 4,500 and 5,500 ft. in the hills of St Andrew is Cinchona Botanical Gardens. Established in 1868, Cinchona is the only garden of its type in the Caribbean. In its early years, Allen Eyre commented that only the slopes of the Volcan Chiriqui of Panama offers anything comparable for majestic loveliness. MONEAGUE INN Parish : St Ann The Moneague Inn has a recorded history going back to 1844 when it was represented by Adolphe Duperly. In 1860 it was described as “the best hotel in the island”. Moneague Inn was impor- tant because of its location on the main highway between the North coast and the then capital Spanish Town. The inn was the most important place to take a night break during the three day journey. GREAT HOUSE RUIN Parish: St Catherine Around 1940, Leonard Howell, the founder of Rastafarianism, established the first Rastafari community of about 4,500 members at Pinnacle in the hills of St Catherine. Pinnacle emerged as a self-reliant community. Several farmers lived and worked there producing a variety of fruits, vegetables and staples.Marijuanawas grownmainly for use in spiritualmeditationandasmedicine.Many skilled craftsmen and women also lived there and shared their faith under the motto ‘One God, One Aim, OneDestiny’. BAMBOO AVENUE Parish: St Elizabeth Bamboo Avenue is located on the main South Coast Highway, between Middle Quarters and Lacovia, in the parish of St Elizabeth. The avenue was planted out with Bambusa Vulgaris a specie of Bamboo which was the largest variety introduced in Jamaica. The avenue is approximately two and a half (2 1/2) miles long with the tall bamboo forming a canopy over it. SAM SHARPE SQUARE: FREEDOM MONUMENT Parish: St James In 1976 Charles Square in Montego Bay was re- named Sam Sharpe Square in honour of national hero Sam Sharpe who was from Montego Bay. Sharpe was executed in the Montego Bay Market Place on May 23, 1832 for his role in the 1831-32 Emancipation War. The square includes several heritage structures: the Sam Sharpe Monument, the Cage, the Civic Centre and the Freedom Monument and a fountain. The Freedom Monument was erected in 2007 to memorialise the enslaved persons who partic- ipated in 1831-32 war of emancipation. WOODSIDE Parish: St Mary The community of Woodside is one of the Jamaican villages replete with history. It has connection to the Taíno, the plantation era and emancipation. There is evidence of Taíno presence in the area in the form of a prehistoric petroglyph or rock carving site referred to as Dryland, Dry Grounds, Image Cave or“One/Long Bubby Susan”. To date the Jamaican Taíno only chose caves or nearby boulders to produce petroglyphs and pictographs (Atkinson 2009, p. 47). This is what makes Jamaica unique in comparison with other Caribbean sites. MORANT POINT LIGHTHOUSE Parish: St Thomas The Morant Point Lighthouse built in 1841 is listed by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust as a National Monument. It is the oldest lighthouse in the island. Built of cast iron tube, cast in London it is 100 feet long with a diameter of 5 feet at the base, and 3 feet at the cap. It is located in the most easterly point of the Island.The labour used inerect- ing the Lighthouse was supplied by kru-men from Africa.Theywere among the freeAfricans who were brought to Jamaica. FALMOUTH WHARVES Parish: Trelawny Falmouth, the parish capital of Trelawny, was created towards the end of the eighteenth century, when sugar was “king”. It was created because Martha Brae the previous capital was unable to handle the volume of trade resulting from the prosperity of sugar, and the inability of its small harbour to facilitate the larger ships transporting the produce of the parish. SEAFORD TOWN Parish: Westmoreland After the Abolition of Slavery (Aug. 1, 1834) manyplanters sawan impending shortageof labour. Consequently new measures were sought in an effort to solve this problem. One measure sought was the establishment of a European settlement by Lord Seaford, then owner of Montpelier Estate and Shettlewood Pen which were located in St James. Over one thousand (1000) Germans were brought to Jamaicawith thepromiseof beinggrantedhouse, land, and employment. Source: JNHT http://jnht.com A young Claude McKay CONTRIBUTED Morant Point Light House in St Thomas Jamaica, Erected in 1841 by Kru men from Africa (who were among the free Africans brought to Jamaica in the period following emancipation), it is the oldest lighthouse on the island and the first cast iron lighthouse built in the Western Hemisphere. Pinnacle, St Catherine. FILE PHOTOS Bamboo Avenue 20 PARISH HIGHLIGHTS INDEPENDENCE FEATURE J L 30 - A T 30,