PARISH INFORMATION

GENERAL

POSITION/SIZE/DESCRIPTION

St. Thomas lies to the south eastern end of the island. It has an area of 742.8 square kilometres (286.8 square miles). It is a very mountainous parish and the ranges include the Port Royal Mountains stretching from above Newcastle in St Andrew to Albion in St Thomas; the Queensbury Ridge between Yallahs and Negro Rivers and to the extreme south an isolated ridge called Yallahs Hill with its highest elevation 2,394 feet above sea level.

The coastal area is between Yallahs and Hector's River and includes large wetland areas - Cow Bay Swamp, Albion Swamp and the Great Morass. There are many cliffs and sandy or gravely beaches.

The three main rivers are the Yallahs River {36.9 kilometres (22.9 miles)}, the Morant River {21.9 kilometres (16.1 miles)}, and the Plaintain Garden River {34.9 kilometres (21.9 miles)}. The Plaintain Garden River is the only one in the island to flow east. One of the two famous spas in Jamaica is at Bath.

The parish has deposits of high-grade gypsum and marble. Talc and asbestos also occur in the Bath area. The vegetation varies between dry limestone scrub forest below 1250 feet and lower and higher mountain range forests above that elevation.

BRIEF HISTORY

It is not certain how St Thomas got its name. It was densely populated by the Tainos/Arawaks when Columbus first came to the island. The Spaniards established cattle ranches at Morant Bay and Yallahs. When the English captured Jamaica residents from other British colonies were invited to settle here. Only the people of Nevis accepted the invitation. The Governor of Nevis, his wife, children and about 1,600 colonists settled at Morant Bay. In a short time two-thirds of them died of fevers including Governor Stokes and his wife. Their children, however, survived and became quite wealthy. They built two imposing houses, Stokes Hall and Stokesfield. The ruins of both remain.

In 1674 the French Admiral Du Casse sailed from Santo Domingo landed at Morant Bay on June 17.and for a month reeked havoc on the settlers there, killing many and carrying off their slaves. On July 18 they sailed to Carlisle Bay but the local militia, reinforced by troops sent from Spanish Town routed the French who abandoned the attack after suffering serious losses on the 22nd.
Later, bands of Maroons settled in the mountains of St Thomas and eventually joined with the Maroons in Portland to form the Windward Maroons.

It was the 'Morant Bay Rebellion' of 1865 which put the parish firmly in the annals of Jamaican history. The ex-slaves all over Jamaica were discontented about the injustices being meted out to them particularly on the question of land tenure. Paul Bogle led a delegation of small farmers that walked 45 miles to present their grievances to Governor Eyre in Spanish Town but they were denied an audience. On October 11 there was a vestry meeting in the Court House and Paul Bogle and his followers armed with sticks and machetes went to the Court House. The authorities panicked. The Riot Act was read. A few people in the crowd threw stones at the volunteers who fired into the crowd killing seven people. The crowd attacked the volunteers who fled and the mob dispersed. Later they reorganized and returned setting fire to the Court House and nearby buildings. When the custos Maximillian von Ketelhodt and others tried to leave the burning building they were killed by the irate crowd. George William Gordon who was in touch with Paul Bogle (they belonged to the same church) used his voice in the House of Assembly to try to improve the lot of the workers and incurred the animosity of the governor. Gordon was taken by boat to Morant Bay where he was tried for conspiracy and hanged on October 23. The following day Bogle was captured by the Maroons, handed over to the authorities and hanged.

The reprisals were monstrous. Over 430 persons were killed by soldiers or executed. Soldiers burnt over 1000 homes. Public outcry led to the appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate the events. Governor Eyre was recalled to England and eventually dismissed. Jamaica became a Crown Colony, that is being governed directly from England. In 1969 the Right Excellent Paul Bogle was named a National Hero along with George William Gordon, Marcus Garvey, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries St Thomas shared in the prosperity brought by the banana export trade. Port Morant and Bowden were the chief ports for shipping bananas. Today the St Thomas Sugar Co. has one of the eight factories in the island that still produce sugar. Eastern Banana Estates operate from Golden Grove. Coconut plantations have recovered from the effects of lethal yellowing disease and Hurricane Gilbert. Serge Island Dairies keep cattle and sells its own brand of milk named after the estate. Although the agricultural sector still has many large plantations with sugar, bananas, coconuts, and coffee, small farmers are active producing domestic and orchard crops.

Returning residents are injecting money into the parish which has stimulated development in several areas. Its proximity to Kingston makes it an ideal place for projects of many kinds.

POPULATION: 91, 900

CAPITAL: Morant Bay

MAJOR TOWNS: Port Morant, Yallahs, Seaforth, Golden Grove, Bath

MAJOR INDUSTRIES/SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT

Agriculture: Sugar and bananas are the main items produced for export. The coconut industry with its by product copra has recovered from the effects of Hurricane Gilbert. Most small farmers produce domestic and orchard crops and this is the main source of employment. Horticulture is growing.
Dairy production: Serge Island Dairies is the leader in this area.
Manufacture: Food processing and electrical equipment

MAJOR HISTORICAL/CULTURAL/RECREATIONAL/ECOLOGICAL SITES

Bath Botanical Garden: In 1779 the government established his garden which is the second oldest botanical garden in the western hemisphere. Many of the exotic plants introduced to Jamaica were first planted here; plants like the jacaranda, bougainvillea, mango, cinnamon and the breadfruit brought by Captain Bligh. Plans are afoot to give the garden a badly needed facelift.

Bath Fountain: The stories vary but one version is that in the 1690s a runaway slave discovered the value of this hot spring and returned to tell his master who gave him his freedom. In 1699 the government bought 1130 acres with the spring and built the Bath of St Thomas the Apostle, then formed a corporation to found the town of Bath and administer the hospital. Thirty slaves built the road and hospital that offered free treatment to the ill and infirm. The waters contain sulfur, magnesium, lime and other minerals and have therapeutic value for treating skin problems and rheumatism.

Morant Point Lighthouse: This is the oldest lighthouse in Jamaica and it stands on a 300 ton concrete foundation at the extreme eastern end of the island. .It is 18 feet wide and 115 feet high with seven storeys. It was erected in1842 by George Grove after whom Golden Grove was named. According to the records the 158-year old lighthouse was fitted in England, then scrapped and shipped to Jamaica in1840. It was built by Africans from Sierra Leone who were part of group of 11,400 free Africans brought to Jamaica after slavery was abolished. It is believed to be the only cast iron lighthouse in the world and was designed by Alex Gordon a civil engineer in London.

Stokes Hall Great House: These ruins sit on an elevation with a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. It is believed to be one of the oldest structures in Jamaica. The house was built around 1710 by a descendant of Luke Stokes, Governor of Nevis who along with 1600 persons from that island, came to settle in Jamaica after it was captured from the Spaniards.

Towers about 30 feet high, were erected at the four corners of the main structure. The upper storey of the main building and the front and back verandahs were added later. It was badly damaged by the 1907 earthquake but was in a fairly good state until as late as the 1920s. Today it is a ruin. It is owned by the government and taken care of by the Jamaica Heritage Trust.

The Yallahs Ponds: There is a legend that two brothers owned this property and were quarreling over it. One morning the brothers woke up and found the property had become two saline lakes. The large pond is 14 times more salty than the ocean beside it due to evaporation and sometimes the water in the smaller pond recedes leaving salt deposits. The ponds are four miles long and about one mile at the widest point. The high salt content of the pond sometimes produces a thick foam that lines the coastline for a depth of about three feet.

Morant Bay Court House: The original building was destroyed in the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865 but was rebuilt shortly afterwards in limestone and red brick. An octagonal wooden belfry is on top. In front of this building is a symbolic statue of Paul Bogle created by the late famous sculptor Edna Manley to commemorate the Morant Bay rebellion. Nearby is a plague remembering those who died in the struggle. Excavations in 1965 revealed 79 skeletons in a mass grave. They were re-interred below a small fort nearby. A memorial in the small park records that they did not die in vain.

Bogle Memorial Garden, Stony Gut: This is the place where the house and chapel of Paul Bogle once stood. They were destroyed by soldiers in the vicious reprisals after the riot. The site has been developed as a garden by the Jamaica National Trust Commission. A stone carving with a plaque has been erected
on this site.

Albion Aqueduct and Sugar Mill: Albion was a large sugar estate which in the 18th century gave its name to the sugar known as 'Brown Albion'. The aqueduct which brought water from the Yallahs River for the sugar works survives as does the ruins of the mill-house. This ruin is about a quarter mile from the Kingston to Morant Bay main road on the road to Easington which was the capital of the parish of St David (1836 - 1867).