Port Maria
Port Maria is the capital town of the Jamaican parish of Saint Mary.
Port Maria | |
|---|---|
Parish Capital | |
 Port Maria, 1825, engraving by James Hakewill | |
  Port Maria | |
| Coordinates: 18.3702474°N 76.8903065°W | |
| Country | Jamaica |
| Parish | Saint Mary |
Originally named "Puerto Santa Maria", it was the second town established by Spanish settlers in Jamaica.[1] The ruins of Fort Haldane, built 1759, overlook the town.
It has a population of approximately 7,500 people. include St Mary's Parish Church, built in 1861, and the St Mary courthouse, a Georgian structure built in 1820 which now houses the Port Maria civic centre. Jamaica's first Prime minister Alexander Bustamante was put on trial for manslaughter with Frank Pixley at the courthouse in 1947. They were acquitted.[2]
Port Maria is the birthplace of Sports Illustrated model Georgianna Robertson.[3]
As of March 2012, the Mayor is Levan Ainsworth Freeman.[4]
Notable buildings
- St Mary courthouse, a Georgian structure built in 1820. Jamaica's first Prime minister Alexander Bustamante put on trial for manslaughter with Frank Pixley at the courthouse in 1947. They were acquitted.[2] After a fire gutted the building in 1988, it was rebuilt maintaining the original style and reopened as the Port Maria Civic Centre in 2000.[5]
- St Mary's Parish Church, built in 1861
References
- Jamaica Travel and Culture http://www.jamaicatravelandculture.com/destinations/st_mary/port-maria.htm
- Moore, Orantes (24 May 2014). "Port Maria's real history". jamaica-gleaner.com. The Gleaner. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- Georgianna Robertson
- Helps, HG; Edwards, Alesia (29 March 2012). "Levan Freeman to be Port Maria's next mayor". Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- "Port Maria Court House". www.jnht.com. Jamaica National Heritage Trust. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
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