Saint Ann, (capital, Saint Anns Bay) is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called 'the Garden Parish of Jamaica' on account of its natural beauty. Saint Ann is the birthplace of reggae singers Burning Spear and the honorable Bob Marley (d. 1981), and The Right Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey (d. 1940), one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes.

St. Ann is one of the oldest populated areas in the island of Jamaica tracing back to 600 - 650 A.D. It is believed to be the earliest Taino/Arawak settlement in Jamaica. When Christopher Columbus first came to Jamaica in 1494, he landed on the shores of St. Ann. The first Spanish settlement in Jamaica was also at Sevilla la Nueva, now called Seville, just to the west of St Ann's Bay. Established by Juan de Esquivel, the first Spanish Governor of Jamaica, St Ann's Bay became the third capital established by Spain in the Americas. The first sugar mills were established by the Spaniards in Sevilla la Nueva before 1526.

After 1655, when the English captured Jamaica, St Ann's Bay gradually developed as a fishing port with many warehouses and wharves. The parish of St. Ann was later named after Lady Anne Hyde the first wife of King James II of England. Ocho Rios began to develop as a modern town and a favourite tourist destination in Jamaica. Its development commenced when Reynolds Jamaica Mines built a deep-water pier, west of the town to ship bauxite ore from the mines.

In the 1960s the St Ann Development Council began the systematic development of Ocho Rios creating a modern town.

Geography

The parish is located at latitude 18°12'N, longitude 77°28'W. It is bordered on the south by Clarendon and St. Catherine, in the east by Saint Mary, and Trelawny in the west. As with all but one parish, its coast is washed by the Caribbean sea. St. Ann covers an area of 1,212.6 km, making it the largest parish, before Saint Elizabeth's 1,212.4 sq km. The population was an estimated 168,726 in 2001, with 11,066 living in the capital, St Anns Bay. Other important towns located in St. Ann are Discovery Bay, Brown's Town and Ocho Rios.

The highest elevation in the parish is in the Dry Harbour Mountains at 762 metres above sea level. Because of its limestone formation, the parish is noted for its 59 caves and numerous sinkholes. The Moneague Lake, which varies considerably in size, is one of the few large intermittent lakes in the island. The boundary between St Ann and St Mary is formed by the White River, which flows for 27.4 kilometres. Other rivers like the Dunns River appear intermittently, rising a few kilometres from the coast. The names of the main rivers are Negro, St Ann, Great, Roaring, Cave and Pedro.

Economy

Agriculture

The agricultural products are mainly bananas, pimento, sugar, coconuts, coffee, limes, corn, ginger, sweet potatoes, yams, and annatto. The soil is also suitable for citrus and, sisal is cultivated in the drier areas. The parish is also noted for cattle rearing, horses and hogs. Recently, however, agriculture has been on the decline as farmland is being used for housing and other developments and the cultivated area has decreased.

 Bauxite

Bauxite was discovered in the parish in 1942. By 1953 Reynolds Jamaica Mines Ltd had began exporting bauxite ore, and Kaiser Aluminium had began operations. Today, Kaiser Aluminium is one of the country's largest single taxpayer and contributor of foreign exchange to the Jamaican Government.

Tourism

The major economic activity in the parish is Tourism. Ochio Rios is one of the major tourist destination of Jamaica, given that Dunn's River Falls and many popular beaches, like Puerto Seco Beach, are located there. There is a cruise ship dock on the west shore of Ocho Rios Bay, and numerous hotels and resorts (including Sandals Jamaica) are located in and around the city.

 Major sites

• Fern Gully: Close to Ocho Rios on the road to Moneague is a three mile long road through a canyon that was an old river bed. In about 1880 it was planted with about 200 species of fern. It still remains attractive with banks of ferns and other plants forming a canopy. Fern Gully is a National Park.

• Marcus Garvey's Birthplace and Statue is located in the capital of the parish at the St Ann's Parish Library.

• Columbus Park is situated to the west of Discovery Bay on the Queens Highway, commemorating Christopher Columbus' visits to the island.

• Runaway Caves are popular tourist attractions located about 3.2 kilometres east of Discovery Bay. It is the entrance to the system of caves and tunnels that extend for over 9.6 kilometres. A lake, 120 feet down is called Green Grotto. Boat trips can be taken on the lake which is clear enough for stalactites to be seen growing from the bottom. Drawings have been left on the walls by Tainos and it is believed that the Spaniards and pirates used these caves probably as escape routes.

• The Seville Great House was built in 1745 on the site of the original Great House by the grandson of Richard Hemmings, the first English owner of the property.

• Edinburgh Castle: This is the ruins of a two-storey fortified house with two towers at diagonal corners. This 'castle' was built by a notorious Scotsman, Lewis Hutchinson, who had settled in Jamaica. According to some apocryphal stories, his hobby was to shoot his departing guests from a loophole in the tower, and rifle the body of valuables. It is believed that he threw the corpses down a deep sinkhole nearby. After attempting to kill a neighboring planter, he was caught while attempting to flee the island. He was then tried, convicted, and hanged at the yardarm in Kingston, in March 1773. No skeletons have been found, however 43 watches (possibly belonging to his 'guests') were located. The eponymous "Hutchinson's Hole" claimed its latest victim in the autumn of 2003, when Carlton Rose, a resident of the district, committed suicide by leaping into the 325ft deep pit (the exact manner of his entry into the hole is somewhat disputed). Despite early efforts by the Fire Dept, the body was not recovered until three months had passed, when members of the Jamaican Caves Organization, led by RS Stewart, descended into the hole at the request of family members and retrieved the by then highly-decomposed corpse. Two descents were accomplished in aid of this, and these rank as only the second and third visits, with the one previous entry having been made by the Jamaican Caving Club, and cavers from Bristol U, in 1976. A partial descent was made in 1895 by Governor Sir Henry Blake, who was lowered on a rope. The story figured prominently in the Jamaican media, and a subsequent Press Release was issued by the JCO (found under External links below) to bring clarity to their involvement in the matter.

• Dunn's River Falls: The unique thing about Dunns River falls is that the falls is at the mouth of the spring; right before it enters the sea. It is possible to travel up the 600 ft falls in groups holding hands for safety. It is one of Jamaica's most popular attractions.

• Bob Marley Museum: This is at Nine Mile, the birthplace and burial site of Bob Marley. The site is run by the Bob Marley Foundation and some of the funds generated is used to improve community facilities and advance community development at Nine Mile.

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