BLACK RIVER| TOUR OF BLACK RIVER TOWN AND HISTORY| ST. ELIZABETH JAMAICA

Описание: BLACK RIVER| TOUR OF BLACK RIVER TOWN AND HISTORY| ST. ELIZABETH JAMAICA
In this Chat Jamaican video you will learn the following:
HISTORY
The town of Black River, established close to the banks of the river after which it is named, is one of the oldest in the island. The exact date of its establishment is not known but John Sellers' 1685 map of Jamaica identified its existence. The town itself is quaint and beautiful, looking as it does southward, toward the shimmering blue Caribbean Sea.
Black River was designed by the Leyden brothers of England, three wealthy men who were substantial land proprietors in the area. Today, it is nothing like the busy seaport town it was in the 18th and 19th centuries, when the area prospered from the lucrative logwood trade, exports of rum, pimento and cattle skin garnered from nearby Holland, Vineyard and Fullerswood Estates.
The town itself, because of its port, was vital to the slave trade. Slaves were brought here and sold at auction at Farquharson Wharf, originally called the 'Town Wharf', which is still standing.
Over time, the town grew in size and importance and in 1773, it replaced Lacovia, located some 19 miles to the east-north-east, as the capital of St. Elizabeth. It soon became the main commercial, economic and transhipment centre of the parish. By the early 1900's the town was second only to Kingston, the national capital, in importance.
The growing economic wealth of Black River was evident in the development of a number of warehouses which are still seen in the town today, which are being used as restaurants or headquarters for one of the operators offering tours up the ecologically rich river with its swirling dark waters.
Buildings
A new feature of the town was the construction of merchant town houses. The first floor of these buildings was used for shops and the second for dwelling. It is not surprising therefore, that Black River was the first town in Jamaica to have electricity which was supplied by the Leyden brothers in 1893. Power was generated from a plant which had a huge furnace and boiler. Logwood, which was a major export of the parish, was used to generate steam from the engine which provided the power.
The town has many important historic sites and structures and the buildings are of varying architectural styles. You will find examples of Georgian, Jamaican Georgian, British Colonial and Jamaican Vernacular architectural styles. The predominant ones however, are Georgian and Victorian, which reflect the different periods in the history of the town's development.
Some of these buildings, particularly those to the western and northern sections of the town are wooden structures. These generally have characteristic features, built to take advantage of the cool winds, of wide verandahs, sash windows, jalousies and fretwork.
Invercauld Great House, now transformed into a hotel, is probably the most imposing wooden Georgian building on the western side of the town. The buildings on the eastern side are made predominantly of brick and mortar and the hotel itself faces calm, blue sea.
Other buildings in the town are made of stone. These include the warehouses, the Anglican church, and the Offices of the Jamaica Tourist Board, located upstairs the Historic Hendricks Building building on the banks of the Black River.
On April 8th, 1999, the town of Black River was designated a Protected National Heritage District by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. The heritage district is bounded by High Street, Crane Road, Logwood Avenue, North Street, Central Road, School Street, the western banks of the Black River, Market Street and Riverside Drive.
Personalities
Many renowned Jamaicans are associated with the town. These include Robert Munro and Caleb Dickenson whose bequest was used to establish Munro College and Hampton High School, two of the more traditional secondary high schools in Jamaica. Two plaques are in the Parish Church to commemorate their memories.
Also associated with the town was National Hero George William Gordon, who it is said, spent his early years there being tutored.

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