Port Maria, St Mary – A Town with Roots
Ruins and Promises
Port Maria, St Mary will always hold a special place in my heart. It is the town in which I was born, the place in which I went to school and the place in which I went to church. My mom and dad were prominent figures in the town. My dad sold ice cream in a hand cart until he was ready to pursue his dream of being the proprietor—the boss—of a restaurant he created with my mom. All that is now gone, and the town itself is rundown and leaves much to be desired. Today, Port Maria is just a shell of what I remembered.
Nevertheless, the town is still filled with surprises for the unsuspecting tourist.
Port Maria, once Jamaica’s second capital, has a deep and layered history. It’s a town that has worn many faces—Spanish colonial outpost, British garrison, market town, and now, a largely forgotten gem on the north coast. Walk its streets and you’ll feel echoes of a richer, more vibrant past. Some of those stories are hiding in plain sight.
One of the most significant nearby landmarks is Fort Haldane, built in 1759 to protect the harbor and town from Spanish attack. Today, the fort is mostly ruins, but its cannons still point out to sea, standing as a silent reminder of the strategic importance Port Maria once held.
Nearby, there’s the story of Tacky, an enslaved Akan chief who led one of the most important rebellions against British colonial rule in 1760. His uprising began near Port Maria and is a critical part of Jamaica’s resistance history. Yet, the town does little to highlight this narrative in any visible or impactful way.
Then there’s Firefly, the former home of British playwright Noël Coward, perched on a hill just outside of town. It boasts some of the best views on the island and still draws visitors curious about Coward’s life and the many celebrities he entertained there, from Queen Elizabeth to Marlene Dietrich.
Closer to the town center, there’s Cabarita Island, visible from the bay. It was once used as a fort location and now sits mostly ignored—though its lush beauty hints at eco-tourism potential. And just to the west, Paggee Beach offers unspoiled sand and calm waters, a quiet contrast to the more commercialized beaches in Ocho Rios.
Port Maria, despite its worn facade, has bones—history, location, natural beauty. What it lacks is investment, vision, and consistent effort.
From a tourism standpoint, there’s a strong case to be made for Port Maria’s revival. Restoring historic sites like Fort Haldane and properly memorializing Tacky’s Rebellion could draw cultural tourists. Eco-tours, boutique stays, local food markets, and beach clean-ups could reframe Port Maria as a “hidden gem” destination, especially for visitors looking for authenticity away from the resorts.
It won’t happen overnight, but Port Maria doesn’t need reinvention—just restoration. The stories are already there. The beauty is already there. What it needs now is belief, infrastructure, and a new generation willing to bring it back to life. Wont you help me to restore this gem in the rough. Please let me know in the comments below.
