Historic Districts
| Historic districts usually have group value, particularly where buildings taken as a whole make up an important architectural and historical unit. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust has to date designated five historic districts, namely, Spanish Town, Falmouth, Titchfield Peninsula, Black River and Port Royal and the Palisadoes.
Spanish Town, built by the Spanish after Sevilla la Nueva (New Seville) was abandoned, dates from 1534. The town is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Jamaica. It was the capital of Spanish Jamaica from 1534 to 1655. When the English captured the island in 1655, Spanish Town remained the capital of the island until 1872 when this status was conferred on Kingston. The town still possesses memories of the past with its many historical buildings. Falmouth was founded in 1790 at the height of the prosperity brought about from sugar cultivation. The town possesses a distinctive Georgian architectural feature that began around 1780 and was introduced to Falmouth by wealthy planters and merchants who lived there. These buildings bordered the main thoroughfare of the town and can still be seen today. Over time, the Jamaican Vernacular style of architecture was added. Titchfield Peninsula has a number of historic buildings of varying architectural styles - Georgian, Jamaican Georgian and Jamaican Vernacular. Some structures are intimately connected with the United Fruit Company and points to the involvement of this multinational corporation with the history of the banana industry in the island. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Black River was a busy seaport town. It prospered from the lucrative logwood trade, exports of rum, pimento and cattle skin garnered from the nearby Holland, Vineyard and Fullerswood Estates. Many important historic sites and structures remain in the town. The buildings are of varying architectural styles such as Georgian, Jamaican Georgian, British Colonial, Victorian and Jamaican Vernacular. These reflect the different periods in the history of the town's development. Prior to the catastrophic earthquake of 1692, Port Royal was the most important transshipment point in the New World. It was also a cultural mecca. The 1692 earthquake sent over 13 acres of land underwater. The tragedy has made the town an archaeological treasure trove and the story of the "sunken city" has fascinated people all over the world. Many important historical structures stand as a testimony to the town's rich history, namely, Fort Charles, the Giddy House, the Victoria and Albert Battery Complex and the Old Naval Hospital. |
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