Historical Trelawny site now in ruins
The site where the prestigious Calabar High School, formerly the Calabar Theological College, first opened its doors is now nothing more than a pasture for raising livestock.
The all-male secondary institution, which is now situated on Red Hills Road, St Andrew, has its point of origin in the hills of the Calabar district in Rio Bueno, Trelawny.
The historical site, however, has seen better days, as a recent visit by the WESTERN STAR revealed that the original building, which was established by the Jamaica Baptist Union in 1843, is now in ruins and overtaken by the wild.
Furthermore, the premises surrounding the old infrastructure is filled with manure, while farm
With a love for art and a growing collection, 52 years ago Joe James decided to open the Joe James Gallery on a property he bought in Rio Bueno, Trelawny.
Joyce Burke, Joe James’ widow, said: “At first, it was a casual display, and then visitors started to pay an interest, so Joe decided to open the gallery. The pieces of art done on canvas and sculpture made from cedar and mahogany gained special attention, and the gallery became an important existence in Rio Bueno.”
According to Burke, after a while visitors started asking for something to eat, so another idea was born.
“Joe was a man with eyes, always open to opportunities, so he decided to open a restaurant. He wanted to be different and specialised in seafood. This gave birth to ‘Lobster Bowl’,” she said.
She added that the gallery got visits from tourists, schoolchildren and the general public animals, such as goats, run amok.
This did not sit well with a because they also wanted to see the pieces of memorabilia from the days when sugar was king in Trelawny.
“Rio Bueno is a quiet community, and the gallery is situated where number of residents from the community, who believe that such an important piece of history people can sit back, relax, and enjoy the cool breeze coming from the sea. People wanted to hang around for the art display and the food and tranquillity that the gallery offered,” Burke said. should not have been abandoned and desecrated.
“The area has gone to ruins, and if people don’t tell you that it is up there the school once was, then you will never know even if you see what is left of the building,” said shopkeeper Antonette Green.
“They should build a monument or put up a sign to indicate that is up there the old Calabar High School used to be, and they must clean up the place and stop make them use it as cow pasture,” she added.
The Spanish named Calabar after a slave port in Nigeria of the same name. In 1868, Calabar College was moved to East Queen Street, Kingston. Eventually, a school for training teachers and a high school for boys were added.
Calabar High School, however, was not founded until September 1912, and in 1952 the school relocated to its current location on Red Hills Road.