Black River

Introducing Black River

Though capital of St Elizabeth and the parish’s largest town, Black River has a transient feel to it. Its namesake river, on whose western banks it rests, spirits day-trippers off to the Great Morass to see crocodiles and eat at waterside jerk shacks, and those who stay in town use it simply as a base for visiting such nearby attractions as YS Falls and the Appleton Rum Estate.

Grant it more than a drive-by glance, however, and you’ll get a sense of its more exalted past. The town’s Georgian architecture attests to its 19th-century prosperity, when Black River exported local logwood from which Prussian blue dye was extracted for textiles. Locals proudly point out the Waterloo Guest House, which in 1893 became the first house in Jamaica to have electricity installed. The racetrack and spa that brought the wealthy have not survived, however.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009