Port Maria is the capital town of the
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
n parish of
Saint Mary.
Originally named "Puerto Santa Maria", it was the second town established by Spanish settlers in Jamaica. The ruins of
Fort Haldane
Fort Haldane is located near Port Maria in the parish of St Mary, Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (aft ...
, 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
Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante (born William Alexander Clarke; 24 February 1884 – 6 August 1977) was a Jamaican politician and labour leader, who, in 1962, became the first prime minister of Jamaica.
Early life and education
He was ...
was put on trial for manslaughter with Frank Pixley at the courthouse in 1947. They were acquitted.
Port Maria is the birthplace of
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
model
Georgianna Robertson
Georgianna Robertson (March 23, 1972, Port Maria, Jamaica) is a Jamaican-born model and actress. She has appeared on over covers of Spanish, French and Italian editions of ''Elle'' and ''Vogue Paris''. Robertson walked numerous of fashion shows, ...
.
, the Mayor is
Levan Ainsworth Freeman Levan can refer to:
Places
* Levan, Berat, a village in the municipality of Berat, Berat County, Albania
*Levan, Fier, a village in the municipality of Fier, Fier County, Albania
* Levan, Gjirokastër, a village in the municipality of Memaliaj, Gji ...
.
Notable buildings
*St Mary courthouse, a Georgian structure built in 1820. Jamaica's first Prime minister
Alexander Bustamante
Sir William Alexander Clarke Bustamante (born William Alexander Clarke; 24 February 1884 – 6 August 1977) was a Jamaican politician and labour leader, who, in 1962, became the first prime minister of Jamaica.
Early life and education
He was ...
was tried in 1947 for manslaughter with Frank Pixley at the courthouse. They were acquitted.
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.
* St Mary's Parish Church, built in 1861
See also
*
Otram River
The Otram River, formerly the Port Maria River or the Port Maria Western River, is a river in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica. It reaches the sea in the parish capital of Port Maria and contributes to flooding in that town.
It is joined at Trinity by ...
*
Paggee River
The Pagee River rises on the south eastern flank of Berry Hill (a summit) just below the contour at near Crawle Pen in Saint Mary. It reaches the sea later at Pagee Beach () also in Saint Mary.UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys
The Ordnance ...
*
Frontier Estate
Frontier Estate was a sugar plantation located in Port Maria, Jamaica. The estate covered 1.415 acres which were worked by 325 enslaved Africans in 1832. Following emancipation
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous re ...
*
Trinity plantation
Trinity was a plantation in colonial Jamaica, located south of Port Maria, in Saint Mary Parish, one of several plantations owned by Zachary Bayly that formed part of the area known as Bayly's Vale. By the early nineteenth century, over 1,000 p ...
References
{{Authority control
Populated places in Saint Mary Parish, Jamaica