What exactly did he find so fascinating in this north coast town of 4,000 people that few tourists ever bother to visit? It could be the fact Falmouth is one of the region's best-preserved historic towns, and one with an organization dedicated to restoring its centuries-old buildings.
According to the World Monuments Fund (WMF), the town's historic district has "the largest intact collection of Georgian period buildings in the Caribbean." The Jamaican government recognized its value, when in 1996, it declared Falmouth a National Monument.
On the north coast, the tourist meccas of Montego Bay to the west and Ocho Rios to the east, get most of the attention. But soon Falmouth may be getting a higher profile, if only among day visitors. A new cruise pier is under construction and scheduled for completion in December. Soon after, the town will welcome its first large ship -- Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Oasis of the Seas.
But you don't have to wait till the end of the year to visit this undiscovered gem. If staying in Montego Bay, Falmouth is only 37 km away. Park the car (or take a taxi) then explore on foot for an hour or so and get a glimpse into the town's past.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Falmouth was a centre for trade of rum and sugar. It had about 100 estates and a thriving commercial port. But it didn't last. By about 1840, the sugar industry began to decline along with the town's fortunes. The reasons ranged from a labour shortage (after the abolition of slavery) to the advent of steamships, which the harbour was incapable of handling, and, in 1846, legislation which ended preferential treatment for sugar produced in the colonies.
Over time, the small houses, merchant and planter complexes, and commercial buildings dating from about 1790 to 1840 -- were neglected and fell into disrepair -- until recently.
In 2001, the Falmouth Heritage Renewal Trust was founded with the mission of preserving the historic buildings and urban fabric of Falmouth while also improving the local economy through training and job creation.
"I think we've done 33 buildings now, " said James Parrent, the executive director "We're installing windows in the parish church and working on a place called Victoria Park (the site of an old bandstand) and have just put a roof on the old prison administration building at the police station."
Much of the work originates from the Falmouth Heritage Renewal building, which has a workshop on the ground floor. On the day of my visit, workers were busy making Windsor chairs, so authentic-looking they had to be marked as reproductions. The second floor functions as a dormitory for visiting international students, among them archaeologists and preservationists from various American universities who come to do field work for several weeks at a time.
The Falmouth Heritage Renewal building itself has a long and interesting history. Built in 1798 as a Masonic Lodge, it later became the Baptist Manse, associated with William Knibb a Baptist minister and anti-slavery campaigner whose efforts helped facilitate emancipation. The building, which in more recent times had been a high school, was battered by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, and later sat empty for years before a Montego Bay couple offered to help pay for its restoration.
I asked Parrent which buildings he liked best, expecting he'd name some of the most prominent structures: The Courthouse -- constructed in the Palladian style with Doric columns, or St. Peter's Anglican Church -- the oldest building in Falmouth, which dates to 1796 and one of the most visited tourist sites.
But he surprised me with his answer. Aside from the Baptist Manse -- the Falmouth Heritage Renewal headquarters -- he said his favourite structures were the small two and three-room houses.
"They're made of wood and have survived for 200 years. They were built with just hand tools. There were no power tools back then," Parrent said.
A good example can be seen on Queen St., where three small homes front onto a common courtyard. These are the kinds of structures most visitors would normally walk pass without giving a second glance. Prince Charles spent 20 minutes inside one of them.
Calvin Hall, a local mason and carpenter explained that Falmouth is the only place on the island making lime putty for restoration of historic buildings. And to help beautify the town, a local nursery grows more than 700 palm trees for distribution to people throughout the historic district as part of a plan to return Falmouth to the way it looked 200 years ago.
Other sites you may encounter on a walk through town are the old Tharp House -- the former abode of a notorious slave owner; the Phoenix Foundry -- which once manufactured iron bedsteads for the British army; the former home of wealthy planter Edward Barrett, and the old jail. Built in 1814, the "gaol," an excellent example of Georgian architecture, was recently restored thanks to a $50,000 grant from the WMF.
If you've never been to Falmouth, there's a chance you may have seen it on the big screen. Two films were made here over the years including Papillon with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman, and the James Bond flick Live and Let Die, shot west of town at the Jamaica Safari Village.
Though Hollywood hasn't come calling lately, it seems Falmouth is becoming a star without the movie cameras. Just this past October, the WMF declared the Falmouth Historic Town a success story. For more on the island, check visitjamaica.com.
WRITER@INTERLOG.COM
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