Falmouth, Jamaica Offers an Intriguing Step into the Past

The Caribbean is perhaps the world’s premier global sun-and-fun destination. But the region also offers multiple opportunities for travelers to experience historic and cultural activities that provide enlightening views into history and a close-up look at contemporary Caribbean communities.

Among the most intriguing of these cities is Falmouth, in Jamaica’s Trelawny parish. The historic village is the home of the country’s most famous contemporary figure, Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Usain Bolt, and most recently took a major leap into the forefront of Jamaican tourism with the 2011 opening of a $220 million cruise ship port complex, the result of a partnership between the Jamaica Port Authority and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Yet beyond these distinguishing aspects is a charming city whose historic sites are as compelling - and more importantly as well-preserved - any in the Caribbean. Visitors will find a town that bears some exploration, as structures key to the community’s historic past - from the original 18th and 19th century Georgian houses, churches and public buildings, to the historic Jewish cemetery - remain in evidence.

I strolled the neat and quiet streets of Falmouth on a beautifully sunny Sunday afternoon earlier this month during a visit to Jamaica, where I attended the Caribbean Hotel Association's Caribbean Marketplace conference.

Falmouth was named for the English city of the same name and was founded in 1769 as a sugar distribution center and marketplace in an era when Jamaica was the world's leading producer. Needless to say, Falmouth was also a central hub of the cross-Atlantic African slave trade, and its economy was largely based on slavery. Ironically, the end of slavery and subsequent decline of Falmouth’s fortunes left many of the historic buildings standing.

Falmouth, England was the birthplace of Sir William Trelawny, then Jamaica’s colonial governor, who was instrumental in the Jamaican town’s establishment. The British created a meticulously planned city featuring wide streets in a regular grid, with a water supply system and numerous public buildings.

Led by Marina Delfos, director of Falmouth Heritage Walks, I explored the city’s well-preserved, pastel-colored 18th and 19th century commercial and residential buildings. Our tour began at the 200 year-old Falmouth Court House, a stately, still-functioning courthouse finished in Georgian architectural style. The courthouse’s balcony provides a sweeping view of the Caribbean Sea and faces the large cruise port.

PHOTO: My tour of Falmouth began at the city’s 200 year-old Jamaican Georgian-style courthouse. (all photos by Brian Major)

Following a leisurely five-minute walk from the courthouse we arrived at Water Square, at the center of Falmouth. The historic square features a monument and plaque that commemorate the location of the town’s original reservoir.

PHOTO: Falmouth’s Water Square once housed the city’s reservoir.

The Falmouth Water Co. began supplying pipe-fed water to the town and ships in Falmouth harbor in 1798, using the stone reservoir to collect and pump the water. Water was also carried from the reservoir to private homes by enslaved Africans. The system remained in use until 1952, when the reservoir was dismantled.

Water Square was also a central location for African slaves and later peasants selling produce and provisions. The area remains a thriving local marketplace to this day, and even as we strolled we passed vendors selling sugar cane and other farm goods.

PHOTO: Water Square’s informal produce marketplace continues to this day.

A somewhat longer walk beyond the downtown into the residential district took us past a delightful procession of 18th and 19th century brick merchant houses and small-frame timber houses outfitted in cool pastel colors of every shade.

PHOTO: Falmouth features many colorfully painted 18th and 19th century brick merchant houses.

We stopped for a while at the William Knibb Memorial Baptist Church, the burial site of Knibb, an English Baptist minister and missionary who worked to abolish slavery. In another 10 minutes we arrived at Falmouth’s Jewish cemetery.

There are 21 known Jewish cemeteries in Jamaica, Marina explained. The 200-year-old Falmouth cemetery is the final home of the remains of the members of several Jewish families, some of whose ancestors emigrated to Jamaica to escape the Spanish Inquisition.

PHOTO: The remains of Falmouth’s historic Jewish immigrants are interred in the town’s Jewish cemetery.

The small graveyard of mostly above-ground crypts offers a fascinating look into the past, with many elegantly carved tombstones, several in Hebrew, and the proud ruins of tombstones that failed to fully withstand the ravages of time.

One haunting tombstone tells of a husband’s “sacred” memory of his deceased 21-year-old bride, and tiny scale of other cemetery crypts belie fate of the young children interred within.

Water Square, Falmouth’s historic buildings and Jewish cemetery are a handful of the cultural attractions that visitors can experience as part of multiple one- and two-hour tours offered by Falmouth Heritage Walks.

PHOTO: Marina Delfos leads a tour of Falmouth’s Jewish cemetery.

The firm recently launched a Falmouth Food Tour that explores the Jamaican gastronomic history and culture, with multiple tastings and samplings.

Unfortunately, I failed to find time to try some of the local delicacies before departing Falmouth. But that just gives me one more thing to do the next time I’m here.