Hanover Parish, Jamaica

From Jamaica Wiki

Hanover is the second smallest parish among the fourteen parishes of the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The parish is located in the northwestern tip of the island and is bordered by the parish of St. James in the eastern side and Westmoreland in the south. Only the parish of Kingston is smaller than Hanover, which comes under the county of Cornwall. Lucea is the main town and capital of the parish of Hanover.

The parish of Hanover has had a long and colorful history since the early colonial days. The parish was founded on November 12; 1723.The name came from the family name of the then English monarch, George I, who was descended from the house of Hanover in Germany. In its early days, Lucea, the capital town of Hanover, as a major commercial center attracted far more business and people than even Montego Bay.

By the middle of the 18th century, Lucea had established itself as an important hub for sugar manufacturing and export and as a trade center. The commercial bustle of Lucea prompted many Jews from Europe to settle down in the parish as merchants, storekeepers, goldsmiths and in various other capacities. It was declared to be a free port during this period. After the abolition of slavery in 1834, the town of Lucea still continued to flourish and was a source of produce to the rest of Jamaica. The exports from Lucea, like bananas continued well into the 1960’s. A deep-water pier was built in the port to facilitate trading but it was only used for the export of molasses and is now not in use.

The town of Lucea has always been a center of trade and commerce. The Hanover parish has quite a hilly terrain and a coastline scored by coves and bays. Dolphin’s Head is a easily recognized landmark for ships at sea and it is the highest point in the parish. The geography of the parish of Hanover includes three small waterfalls, a number of coves and caves along the coastline. Lucea is also famous for a very old clock tower established in 1817 and which still keeps perfect time. The parish of Hanover presently has at least 67,000 people living in the 430 sq. km area.

Like in other parishes of Jamaica, agriculture is a steady part of the economy of the parish of Hanover. Major produce from Hanover includes yams, sugarcane, ginger, rice, pimento, breadfruit, turmeric and arrowroot. Hanover is also well known for its fine varieties of cattle. Other livestock like pigs and goats are also widely grown.

Hanover is not as famous as a tourist destination as other more popular destinations in Jamaica. But there are still resorts and hotels and things to see all over Hanover. The three small waterfalls in Hanover, namely Paradise, Kempshot and Dry Hill, are a must see for visitors. There are also the remnants of good examples of architecture from the colonial days. These include the Old Lucea Court House situated in the center of the town, the Lucea Parish Church dating back to the 18th century and the Old Fort Charlotte built to protect the town of Lucea from French raiders. Blenheim is another focal point of interest being the birthplace of Alexander Bustamante, the first Prime Minister of Jamaica, founder of the Jamaican Labour Party and a National hero of Jamaica. Tyrall Waterwheel is another interesting structure located in a former sugar estate.