Saint James, Jamaica

St James is a parish, located on the north west end of the island of Jamaica. Its capital, Montego Bay, was named the second city of Jamaica, behind Kingston, in 1981. The parish is the birth place of The Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe (d. 1833), one of Jamaica's Seven National Heroes.

Commerce

Agricultural activities include forestry, and the production of sugar cane and other domestic crops. There are approximately 60 manufactoring establishments in the south of the parish, mainly for garment, woodwork, and food processing. There are also many industrial zones, including The Montego Free Zone, Bogue Industrial Estate, and Ironshore.

Related Topics:
Forestry - Sugar cane - Garment - Woodwork

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Tourism is the main source of employment in the parish; one in four persons are employed in tourism. Over 500,000 tourists annually visit St James, and this accounts for one-third of the revenue generated by tourism islandwide.

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Sites

• Rose Hall Great House is the most famous in the parish, and probably in the island. It was built on a hill, two miles east of Ironshore in 1770 by John Palmer, the Custos of St James, who named the house after his wife, Rose. The house attracts over 100,000 visitors per year. The attraction to the house is triggered by the legend of 'The White Witch Of Rose Hall', Annee —the wife of John Rose Palmer— who reputedly murdered all three of her husbands, before being strangled by her salves. It is believed that her ghost still haunts the property. In the Christmas/San Sharpe rebellion of 1831, slaves destroyed the house and it was left in ruins for over a century. John Rollins, a wealthy American, bought the property in 1966, and restored the house to its former grandeur.
• Sam Sharpe Square is located in the centre of town. It displays a life sized sculpture of Sam Sharpe and his men during the Christmas rebellion in 1831.
• Rio de Camorones or the Creek Dome was the source of drinking water until 1893. The dome still stands (although it no longer provides drinking water).
• Old Fort was built in 1774 to protect the town. The old canon is still pointing out to sea.
• The Cage was a jail for recaptured runaway slaves. It is now used a Tourist Information Centre and museum.
• St James is noted for its fine beaches. These include Greenwood, Rose Hall, Ironshore, Mahoe Bay, Walter Fletcher, Doctor's Cave, Cornwall Beach, Montego Freeport, and Spring Gardens.