What is
The History of St Ann Jamaica?

History of St Ann Jamaica | Rio Nuevo Village

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

Most people, when they hear the parish of St. Ann mentioned, their mind automatically goes to Ocho Rios. But Ocho Rios isn’t the only gem in the parish, as a matter of fact, the entire parish is.

On the northern part of the island, the parish of St. Ann is bordered to the west by St. Mary, to the east by Trelawny, and to the south by both St. Catherine and Clarendon. It has a total area of 1,212 km, making it the largest parish in terms of land mass in Jamaica.

What is St. Ann Known for?

Bauxite, a mineral linked to the parish's underlying dry limestone rocks and famed for its red soil, is regarded as being extremely important to Jamaica. The caves and sinkholes at St. Ann, including Green Grotto Caves, Bat Cave, and Dairy Cave, to name a few, are common features.

How did St. Ann get its name?

The Spanish gave St. Ann its original name, Santa Ana (St. Ann). Santa Ana was shortly renamed St. Ann's Bay under English dominion in honour of Lady Anne Hyde, the first wife of King James II of England.

There has been some historical debate surrounding this because some people have claimed that Santa Ana is simply the Anglicised version of St. Ann's Bay. The production of bauxite, agriculture, and cattle, as well as its tourist attractions, are what give it the nickname "The Garden Parish."

The parish is thought to be Jamaica's first Taino/Arawak settlement. Because of the unusual form of the land, Christopher Columbus gave the actual location of his first landing in Jamaica, in 1494, the name Horseshoe Bay.

This was renamed Dry Harbour before being given the ultimate, more suitable name of Discovery Bay.

Sevilla La Nueva (now Seville) - Jamaica’s First Capital)

The Seville property is located 1.6km, or approximately a mile, west of the town of St. Ann's and contains one of the most significant archaeological sites, the location of the first Spanish settlement in Jamaica and the island's first capital.

Juan de Esquivel, the first Spanish Governor of Jamaica, established this town in 1509, giving it the name Seville Nueva, or New Seville. The initial capital of the island was "Sevilla Nueva," today merely known as Seville.

It was the third Spanish capital to be created in the New World when it was founded by the Spaniards in 1509. Later, it was discovered that this capital was unhealthy, and it was abandoned.

As the English settlement expanded over time, the town transformed into a fishing port with numerous warehouses and wharves. The bay was chosen as the capital not just for its high rate of productivity but also because it was home to one of the biggest banana and bauxite shipping ports.

However, the main city was quickly eclipsed by Ocho Rios, which had grown quickly in recent years into the ideal vacation spot.

Tourism In St. Ann

Turtle Bay (Ocho Rios Bay) Beach

The development of St. Ann depends greatly on the tourism industry. One of the parish's strongest economic drivers is thought to be tourism. Because of this, St. Ann has gradually become one of the island's most popular tourist spots for both locals and visitors.

It can be claimed that the establishment of the St. Ann Development Company by the government in the 1960s, under the guidance of the Urban Development Corporation, marked the beginning of St. Ann's tourism industry (UDC).

The harbour was dredged, and the region was set aside for the construction of hotels and vacation rentals. As it was determined that the whole investment in the region was a successful development, further hotels and apartments would have been constructed in coming years.

The harbour was dredged, and the region was set aside for the construction of hotels and vacation rentals. A loan was obtained to purchase 80 acres of beach land in Ocho Rios and it was used for the development of hotels.

As it was determined that the whole investment in the region was a successful development, further hotels and apartments would have been constructed in coming years.

Turtle Beach eventually proved to be the perfect location for a cruise ship port, which was built out to handle two mega liners at once. As a result of this expansion, marinas were also built, and cruise shipping significantly increased Jamaica's tourism output.

Numerous thousands of travellers stop here each week, taking full advantage of the thriving artisan sector on Jamaica's north coast. In reality, between 1989 and 1992, Ocho Rios hosted over 73% of the island's cruise ship visitors, who were thought to have spent about US $ 77 million as stopover tourists.

Major Towns in St. Ann

• St. Ann's Bay- parish capital
• Ocho Rios- The tourist capital
• Brown’s Town- the largest rural town in the parish
• Discovery Bay- originally named horseshoes bay by Christopher Columbus
• Runaway Bay- Yassi, the last Spanish Governor of Jamaica escaped to Cuba from this point.
• Moneague

Notable places/ buildings in St. Ann

• Ocho Rios Fort
• Cardiff Hall Great House
• Clarksonville
• Seville Heritage Park
• 32 Market Street
• Cave Valley Chimney
• St. Ann Parish Church
• Our Lady of Perpetual Help
• The Old Jail

And should I mention that St. Ann has some of the most gorgeous skyline views? Certainly makes one of the best parishes for a road trip.

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Return to Jamaican Parishes from What is the History of St Ann Jamaica?
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References & Sources For The History of St Ann Jamaica?

1. History notes: Information on jamaica's Culture & Heritage (no date). Available at: https://nlj.gov.jm/history-notes-jamaica/ (Accessed: December 7, 2022).
2. Parish Profile: St. Ann (no date) Jamaica Information Service. Available at: https://jis.gov.jm/information/parish-profiles/parish-profile-st-ann/ (Accessed: December 7, 2022).

What is the History of St Ann Jamaica? | Written: December 7, 2022

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