The National Heroes Park is a botanical garden and memorial monument to many national heroes, politicians and cultural leaders who have helped shape Jamaica. Founded in 1783, the park was originally a racetrack but was later converted to a public park and cemetery. Now a resting place for many notable Jamaicans, the park has monuments and cenotaphs to people such as Marcus Garvey, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Donald Sangster, as well as monuments in remembrance of national tragedies.
National Heroes Park
Heroes Circle
Kingston, Jamaica
+876-922-1287
jnht.com
Most famous for the world-class coffee that is grown there, the Blue Mountains of Jamaica are an oasis of biodiversity and cultural artifacts. The diverse topography of the nearly 192,000-acre mountain reserve has created a variety of micro-climates and distinct ecosystems that are home to hundreds of endemic species. Apart from the incalculable biological value of the park, the mountains also played a part in the turbulent slave-era in Jamaica. The impenetrable jungle that covers the slopes of the mountains offered sanctuary to escaped slaves, many of whom created homesteads deep in the jungle. The Blue Mountain-John Crow Mountain National Park is the most popular and most visited national monument in Jamaica.
Blue Mountain-John Crow Mountain National Park
Surrey County, Jamaica
+876-960-28489
greenjamaica.org.jm
Edinburgh Castle is a fascinating and macabre national monument, commemorating a series of heinous crimes at the hands of Jamaica's first serial killer. Built by Lewis Hutchinson in the 1760s, the castle was actually an eclectic great house designed to look like a medieval castle. Hutchinson, a doctor who emigrated to the island in the 18th century, was known for shooting any passerby and then instructing his slaves to throw the bodies into a sinkhole located on the property. Sometimes he would even invite his victims indoors where he would entertain them for hours before finally killing them. Hutchinson was finally caught when he shot his neighbor in front of a witness. He was hanged at the Spanish Town Gallows in 1773. It will never be known how many people met their deaths at the hands of the "Mad Doctor," although the investigation of this estate uncovered forty-three watches and a great quantity of clothing, presumably from his victims. The castle now stands in ruins and is overseen by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust as a monument.
Edinburgh Castle
Main Road
St. Thomas, Jamaica
+876-922-12878
jnht.com
Once the site of the last pitched battle between the Spanish and the British to determine ownership of Jamaica, the Rio Nuevo Battle Site is now a monument to one of the most important times in Jamaican history. The British victory after five years of guerrilla warfare with Spanish forces led by Governor de Isassi led to the signing of the Treaty of Madrid, which formally recognized the British as the sovereign rulers of Jamaica. The land on which the battle took place was purchased from the Beckford family by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust who have dedicated it as a monument to the events that transpired on the grounds. A placard at the site reads: "The stockade that once stood here was captured on the 17th June 1658 by Colonel Edward D'oyley and the English forces under his command after a gallant defense by Don Cristobal de Isassi, the last Spanish governor of Jamaica."
Rio Nuevo Battle Site
79 Duke Street
Kingston, Jamaica
+876-922-1287
jnht.com
