Historic landmarks out west among Melissa’s many victims

Western Bureau:

When the full history of the $1-trillion devastation left behind in western Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa is written, several of the region’s historic landmarks will be numbered among the facilities that were either badly damaged or ruined beyond repair.

When The Gleaner travelled across western Jamaica on Wednesday, it became obvious that several historic churches, schools, police stations, attractions, and other structures, many over 100 years old, had crumbled amid the wrath of the rampaging hurricane, whose Category 5 winds left behind horrifying memories.

Numbered among the demolished churches is the 100-year-old Ramble Anglican Church, which serves as a place of worship for the residents and an attraction for tourists to the island who regularly use the magnificent structure as a backdrop for their keepsake photographs, cataloguing their visits to Jamaica.

“It is my church,” shouted a passing motorist as The Gleaner team stopped by to photograph the all-but-completely damaged building.

“It is going to be hard to rebuild, but we would love to have back our church.”

Among the other historic churches across the region that were badly damaged by the hurricane were the William Knibb Baptist Church and the Anglican Parish Church, both in Falmouth, Trelawny; and the Calvary Baptist Church, in Montego Bay, which is now sporting a damaged roof.

Amid the massive damage to farms across the western region, the Knockalva Agricultural School in Ramble, Hanover, which was created decades ago to train young farmers in poultry, cattle production, and general farming, suffered major infrastructural damage to fruit trees, infrastructure on the ground, and the main building.

HISTORIC SCHOOLS

Like the churches, several historic schools across the region were badly damaged. These include the over 100-year-old Cornwall College and its neighbour, Mt Alvernia High School, in Montego Bay, and the historic Manning’s School in Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

Manning’s, which took a hit from Hurricane Beryl last year and was steep into rebuilding, was battered almost beyond recognition, with its signature main building, which includes its library, in ruins. Several classrooms, including many that were recently refurbished, had their roofs blown off and into adjoining properties.

Some of the willow trees, which adorned the driveway, and some of the large trees, which, historically, provided shelter for students as they studied, were completely uprooted, transforming the appearance of the school.

In Frome, the site of the historic Frome Sugar Factory, which was pivotal to the formation of Jamaica’s trade union movement in the 1930s, also suffered significant damage as the impact of the hurricane could be seen at close range on Wednesday, albeit amid pouring rain.

Several sections of the roof of the sugar factory were missing, and many of the houses on the estate grounds, including some that served as accommodation, were badly damaged both from the hurricane’s wind and fallen trees. The historic Frome Sports Ground, a gift from the sugar factory to the community, was also in ruins, with its sports club destroyed.

The Great River Show Ground, on the St James-Hanover border, which is renowned for its rafting facilities, dating back many decades, and as a major concert venue, was unrecognisable, with all its buildings either destroyed or badly damaged.

“Great River done. They will have to build a complete new show ground,” said Monica Smith, with a rueful look on her face as she surveyed the damage. “I will never forget this place. This was where I saw my idol reggae star, Dennis Brown, perform for the first time ... so many great memories ... Melissa has taken away a beautiful place of great history and memories.”

adrian.frater@gleanerjm.com