Description
There is an old Jamaican saying ‘every mickle mek a muckle’. It means every experience – no matter how small – counts, because together they form a greater whole. There is another old Jamaican saying: ‘one one cocoa full basket’ which means that parts of things slowly combined make a whole. Pieces of the Past: A Stroll Down Jamaica’s Memory Lane is as much a combination of both meanings as it is an exploration of a deep-rooted interest in Jamaica’s rich history and culture.
As the title suggests, the stories included in this volume are but pieces of Jamaica’s very rich past. Since all the defining moments of Jamaican history and culture could not be covered, the book brings together interesting people and events from the nation’s past to the general public. Stories range from the strictly historical, such as the founding of the nation’s two political parties, to reminiscences of service in World War II, to the exploration of place names and proverbs.
The book is divided into eight sections namely: Places; People; Cultural Heritage; A Nation Emerges; Trials: Natural and Manmade; Jamaicans Who Served; Famous Visitors; and Things Jamaican. Pieces of the Past is written in a clear and accessible style and is a must for lovers of Jamaican history, and anyone interested in the culture and heritage of the island.
Contents
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
PLACES
A Historic Portrait: Port Antonio
Port Royal: The Guarded City, 1690
Our Parishes
What’s in a Name? Place names: A Window to Jamaica’s History and Character
A Historic Look at the Capital City
The History of Falmouth: Early Nineteenth-Century Boom Town
The Story of Spanish Town
THE PEOPLE WHO CAME
Africans in Jamaica
The English, Scots and Welsh
The Jews in Jamaica
The Arrival of the Chinese
The Arrival of the Indians
The Lebanese Arrive
Germans in Jamaica
The Arrival of the Irish
CULTURAL HERITAGE
Christmas a Come
What A Bam Bam: Jamaica Festival is Born
Old Time Weddings
The Fall of a Gentle Giant: The Collapse of Tom Cringle’s Cotton Tree
The Ward Theatre
Historic Devon House
Museums in Jamaica
Old Time Tellin’s: A Closer Look at Jamaican Proverbs
Anancy: The Magical Spiderman
A NATION EMERGES
Independence Bells Ring
Gibraltar Camp: A Refuge From War
Money: The Roots of Jamaican Currency
Montego Bay Riots: Riots Here, Send Help at Once
The Founding of the People’s National Party (PNP)
The Stamp of History: The Jamaican Postal Service
Radio: For your Listening Pleasure
Jamaica’s Grand Hotels
The History of Printing in Jamaica
Turning Point: The Founding of the Jamaica Labour Party, (JLP)
August Morning: Freedom at Last: Emancipation
Fighting for Freedom: The Triumph of Will
Jamaica On Show: The Great Exhibition of 1891
Taking to the Skies: A History of Aviation in Jamaica
TRIALS: NATURAL AND MANMADE
1692: Port Royal Earthquake
Mistresses of the Sea: Mary Read and Anne Bonny – Female Pirates
The Mad Master of Edinburgh Castle
The Hurricane of 1780
Honesty is the Best Policy: The Case of the Shark Papers
Bog Walk Tube
Kingston No Longer Exists: The Earthquake of 1907
Tragedy at Kendal, 1957
JAMAICANS WHO SERVED
Mary Seacole: Jamaican Healer and War Heroine (1805–1881)
Claude McKay: Jamaica’s Poet Laureate (1890–1948)
Dr. Cicely Williams: Jamaica’s Gift to the Field of Maternal and Child Health Care (1893–1992)
Professor Louis Grant: Famous Jamaican Scientist (1913–1993)
Thomas P. Lecky : The Father of Jamaican Cattle: (1904–1994)
A.J. Thomas : The Father of Jamaican Fish: (1909–1988)
Jamaica and the Great War: ‘Old Soldiers Never Die, They Only Fade Away’
Recollections of World War II: Lt. Col. Whitehorne and Archdeacon Maxwell Remember
FAMOUS VISITORS
All Hail: The State Visit of Emperor Haile Selassie I
Sir Hans Sloane: Captivated by Jamaica
Henry Morgan: The Pirate King
I Have a Dream: Martin Luther King in Jamaica
Lady Nugent’s Journal: A Cultural Explication of Empire
Captivated by Jamaica: Errol Flynn, Ian Fleming and Noel Coward
Frazier vs. Foreman: Match up on the Sunshine Island, January 22, 1973
Footprints of Glory Foretold: Admiral Horatio Nelson and his Stay in Jamaica
Katherine Dunham: Matriarch of Modern Dance
Simón Bolivar: El Libertador (1793–1828)
THINGS JAMAICAN
Jamaican Coffee: A Beverage of Distinction
A Paradise Worth More Than Gold: Jamaica’s Botanical Gardens
Colourful Characters: Jamaica’s Birds
Bounty and Breadfruit: The Mutiny on the Bounty and the Arrival of the Breadfruit
Distinguished Drink: Appleton Estate and the History of Jamaican Rum