St. Ann's Bay's historical sites range from architectural heritage and churches to monuments and the fort's changing uses. The St. Ann's Bay Clocktower, churches and other historic landmarks are in the town; St. Ann's Bay Fort is to the west. To plan your trip, you can first decide whether you are more interested in architecture, religious history, monuments or the fort's history of use.
Historical Sites in Town
The St. Ann's Bay Clocktower was built in 1814 by Whitehurst and Derby. The house at 32 Market Street is made of wood, stands on blocks and is designed in the Jamaica vernacular style. A bust of Marcus Garvey was erected in front of the house in 1989. These represent different historical points of reference: for the clocktower, the year it was built and its builders are key; for the house, its material and style; and for the bust, the person depicted and the year it was erected. The bust and the house description refer to the same address, but remain two distinct points of reference for the town's history.
Churches, Monuments and Different Dates
For the churches, the type of date matters: St. Ann's Bay Baptist Church was founded in 1827, while St. Ann's Bay Methodist Church was built in 1898. These are not two comparable construction dates; one year refers to a founding, the other to a building. The Christopher Columbus monument stands in a park on Main Street. St. Peter Martyr Site consists of the ruins of an old church. The descriptions differ accordingly: dates are associated with events for the churches, the monument's location is specified, and the Site is described by the form of its surviving remains. Taken together, the years 1814, 1827, 1898 and 1989 refer to different events—construction, founding or erection. The chronological order alone should therefore not be mistaken for a single, consistent construction history.
The Fort West of St. Ann's Bay
St. Ann's Bay Fort lies west of St. Ann's Bay and was built from stone blocks from Sevilla la Nueva. In 1795, it was declared unusable because of the advancing sea; a new fort was built at Windsor Point on the opposite side of the bay. This links the building material with a specific reason for abandoning the old fort and the location of its replacement. The fort's history thus differs from the churches' construction and founding dates: it also includes the abandonment of the original fort and a new fort at a different location. The older fort was later used as a prison and correctional facility. The historic prison included individual cells, a treadmill, a separate room for people with mental illness, a room for debtors, a “hospital” and rooms for prison staff. Today, the fort lies in ruins; check its condition before traveling there.
Discover more destinations: Inverness, Claremont, Discovery Bay, Salem, Ocho Rios, Runaway Bay, Priory.
For the main travel overview: Saint Ann Parish.
