Mico Teachers College

Lonely Planet review

The impressive wooden colonial structures north of Wolmer's School house one of the oldest teacher-training colleges in the world, Mico Teachers College.

The original funds to establish the institution were bequest in a bizarre set of circumstances. In 1670 a nephew of Lady Mico refused at the eleventh hour to marry one of her six nieces. The unused dowry was invested, with a portion being set aside as ransom to liberate Christian captives from Barbary pirates. A century and a half later, as piracy waned, the considerable accumulated assets were used to establish the Mico Colleges with a mission to educate former slaves after emancipation. The impressive main building dates from 1909. There's a museum chronicling the history of the institution.