Sturge Town, One of Jamaica's First Free Villages

1/6/2016
 

Photo courtesy of the Jamaica Gleaner

Sturge Town, located in the Dry Harbour Mountains of St Ann, was one of the first free villages
in Jamaica. The original village consisted of 120 acres, about eight miles from Brown's Town.
It was established by the Reverend John Clarke, a Baptist Minister with the assistance of Joseph
Sturge, the Quaker philanthropist and leader of the anti-slavery movement, who had visited
Brown's Town in 1837 in the course of his investigation of the Apprenticeship system. From Mr
Sturge's investigation which showed that the Apprenticeship system was not working as it
should, all former slaves were freed on August 1, 1838.

Taking up the initiative

However, there was nowhere for these people to live. Clarke took the initiative with the
assistance of Sturge and purchased the land on which the people could settle. Mount Alba was
bought and several villages were created. Sturge Town was one of them where approximately
100 families settled.

The total purchase cost of the land was 700 pounds sterling of which 400 was put up by 80-90
freed people. They and a few additional people paid the rest in instalments.
Clarke was an early supporter of the Free Village Movement. He came to Jamaica in 1835 and
ministered at Brown's Town Baptist Church. The significance of the church was that it helped to
establish the permanent settlement of Sturge Town as it was utilised as a school and was close to
the first settlement in the area.

Like most early settlements in rural Jamaica (19th century), Sturge Town grew as an agrarian
society in which ex-slaves were given an opportunity to provide for themselves. This usually
took place on or around former plantations. Sturge Town was no exception as it was established
on a former sugar estate.

                                                                                           -- Information from Institute

of Jamaica

According to the National Heritage Trust, in this newly formed village, "each house had a
separate acre of land where, in addition to provisions, there were a number of pimento trees and
in some instance sugar cane was cultivated. Pimento is a traditional export crop in Jamaica, and
was probably sold by the Sturge Town people. Surpluses of other tree crops such as mangoes and
breadfruit were probably also sold for distribution in the island markets."

Editor's Note:  Sturge Town is known for:

 Winning the Gleaner's Children's Own National Spelling Bee in 1964

 Winning the  Michael Manley Award for Community Self-Reliance in 2005
 Winning the National Better Environment for Social Transformation (BEST) Community
competition for 2008  
 Penshurst Cave, where it is said, the slaves would meet to worship
 Marley Springs -- a mineral spring was discovered by a runaway slave called Marley,
which produces an endless supply of natural water. The residents of Sturge Town claim
that the spring has supernatural powers: "Most people here live to over 100. The oldest
person, who died a few years ago, lived to be 113. I don't know anywhere else in Jamaica
where people live this long. There must be something that so many people out of this
district live so long, and I know it's the water." (The Secret of Marley Springs)
 Hosting the popular Back-A-Yard Celebration on Emancipation Day.

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