Black River, Jamaica
Black River | |
|---|---|
Parish Capital | |
| Country | Jamaica |
| Parish | St Elizabeth |
| Population | |
| • Estimate (2009) | 4,261 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
Black River is the capital of St. Elizabeth Parish, in southwestern Jamaica.[2] It sits at the mouth of the river of the same name. Once a thriving sugar port, it is today a centre of environmental tourism and a gateway to the Treasure Beach resort area; Treasure Beach and Crane Beach are to the south-east with Luana Beach to the west.
Growing prosperity led to the construction of several warehouses,[2] which are now used as restaurants or as bases for eco-tours of the river.[2]
History
Black River one of the oldest towns in the island, being shown on John Sellers 1685 map.[2] It was designed by the Leyden brothers of England, three wealthy men who were substantial land proprietors in the area.[2]
In the 18th and 19th centuries it was a busy seaport for the lucrative logwood trade and for exports of rum, pimento and cattle skin from the nearby Holland, Vineyard and Fullerswood Estates.[2] The Logwood tree trunks were floated down the Black River to the port to be shipped to England for making of dyes.[citation needed]
Slaves were landed here and sold at auction at Farquharson Wharf (originally Town Wharf), which still stands.[2]
In 1773 it replaced Lacovia, 19 miles to the east-north-east, as the capital of St. Elizabeth.[2] Soon after it became the main commercial, economic and transshipment centre of the parish.[2] By the early 1900s it was second only to Kingston in importance.[2]
References
External links
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