Since the Oasis of the Seas is going to this port, I thought many of
you will be interested in reading a little history on Falmouth!
Susette
Cruise Outlets and Travel
Friendly service and Smiles!
800-853-9515
History of Falmouth, Jamaica
Falmouth, capital of the Parish of Trelawny, is situated on Jamaica=92s
north coast near Montego Bay.
Founded by Thomas Reid in 1769, Falmouth flourished as a county seat
and market center for the Parish of Trelawny for forty years. Jamaica
had become the world's leading sugar producer. The town was named
after the birthplace of His Excellency Sir William Trelawny,
Falmouth, Cornwall, England, and is noted for being one of the
Caribbean=92s best-preserved historic towns.
with Falmouth=92s residential areas, where rich and poor lived close to
one another in a Falmouth compares well with Colonial Williamsburg,
Virginia in the United States. Falmouth was meticulously planned from
the start, with wide streets in a regular grid, adequate water supply,
and public buildings. Interestingly, Falmouth received piped water
before New York City.
During the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Falmouth
was one of the busiest ports in Jamaica. It was home to masons,
carpenters, tavern-keepers, mariners, planters and others. It was a
wealthy town in a wealthy parish with a rich racial mix. This was the
heyday of King Sugar. Within the parish, nearly one hundred
plantations were actively manufacturing sugar and rum for export to
England. Jamaica had become the world's leading sugar producer. In
Falmouth
Harbor as many as 30 tall-ships could be seen on any given day,
delivering goods and slaves, and loading their holds with rum and
sugar manufactured on nearby plantations.
Starting in 1840, Falmouth=92s post-emancipation fortunes as a
commercial center declined. This decline and lack of support for
development has left many of its early buildings standing. The
streets are lined with many small houses known for their unique
fretwork and windows, major merchant and planter complexes, and
commercial buildings, all dating from 1790 to 1840.
While Falmouth saw little commercial advancement after the 1840=92s,
houses continued to be built. The town=92s buildings, the old and the
not so old, make up the historic townscape of Falmouth. These shared
characteristics weave the varied building styles into a distinctive
pattern of early Jamaican architecture, and a critical mass of each
variety makes the town an unusually distinctive place.
Within the Falmouth Historic District lies the largest intact
collection of Georgian buildings =96 unparalleled in the entire
Caribbean. There survive many small houses known for their unique
gingerbread fretwork and jalousie windows, major merchant and planter
complexes, and commercial buildings, all dating from 1769 to 1840.
Market Street is lined with the largest coherent group of colonnaded
commercial
buildings in Jamaica. This contrasts dramatically common pre-
industrial manner. As a result, there are small wooden houses and
brick Georgian mansions scattered throughout what is now officially
designated as the Falmouth Historic District.
Today, a visit to Falmouth is like a walk through history: every
house, every corner, and every street is filled with stories of
Jamaica=92s rich history.
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