Sandy Bay a unique district in the western part of JamaicaJamaica has a number of small communities Each with its own individual uniqueness and Sandy Bay is one of them. If you are going to or from Negril one of the tourist resort in the western region this district is on the way to or from Montego Bay another major resort on the island that boasts one of the Island’s two international airports, (Sangster’s International).
Favorite shopping spot for Author Soy Criada
Post Office, Library, Court house, Police Station Health Clinic recreation centre, Libray -(close. new one coming soon) Hardware, Bars, Car /Bus park, Housing Scheme, Factory (closed up for sale), Hotel Tours, Schools Churches, Beach
Places to Worship
Though a very small community, there are as many as five churches located here. Whether you worship on Saturday or on Sunday there is a place where you can go to worship. There is the Seventh Day Adventist, the Methodist, the Church of God, the Christian Fellowship and the Fletcher’s Grove Baptist.
Schools in Sandy Bay This village now boasts two government schools, a basic school and a Primary and Junior High School. The latter originally started as church schools. The seventh Day Adventist Church now has a basic school attatched . Situated between Sandy Bay and Hopewell is a fearly new high school also run by the Jamaica Government Some time reffered to as Hopewell High. Economy The people of Sandy Bay Jamaica are basically
lower or lower middle class. There is however a number of skilled workmen capable of building world class houses, mason,plumbers,carpenter, tilers,eletricianand cabinet makers. The district was originally a farming community but the people are moving away to be more skills orientated.
Many individuals work at hotels or the tour in the area.
Safety
Real Estate If you are interested in real estate in the area the place to seek out is the Tryall Gardens housing scheme there is aways some one advertising lots for sale. Sports This area is well known for its football. The famous ‘Hanover Masters’ football team has its origin in Sandy Bay, many of the founding members came from this area. If you are passing through one afternoon especially on a Sunday and your tour driver slows to a snail pace it may just be one of the regular foot ball matches in progress which usually draws large gatherings.
Places to make a quick stop
If you are just coming off the plane heading to Negril by then you would be thirsty, hungry or just in need of a clean rest room. Sea View Tavern and Grocery is the place to get an icy cold Red Stripe Jamaica world class beer, Heineken , Ting or a cold Jamaican Ginger Beer pepsi, coco cola. You can’t miss it just ask for “Mada Pepper’s” place. right there in Sandy Bay. . Perhaps you have heard about our scrumptious Jamaican
seafood dishes. Stop at “Valerie’s Bar and Restaurant” it is a hang out for visitors like you. Dine and feel the cool salty sea breeze caressing you. Take a picture with the sapphire blue sea and sky blue skies and canoes as a backdrop .
Fun stuff Are you a professional golfer? Tryall Hotel and Golf Club may just be the place to be. It is renowned to be one of the best golf courses in the world and was once the home of Johnny Walker and Mazda world famous golf tournaments. So you said you are a horse back riding fan or you have hopes of getting on a horse some day.Here is your chance to ride a horse in the sea? You will get to try this at Chukka Adventures Tours Sandy Bay. Get out into the waters ,turn your head land wards. a “Magnificent” sight, this is Sandy Bay from the vantage point of the sea. could it be that you are thinking that a sea bike would provide much more fun, Well Chukka Adventures Tours is the place to begin experiencing the fish and reefs. You can persue the land while looking and listening to the rivers rippling; smell the the wild flowers as bees and humming birds compete for their nectar. Listen keenly and you will be entertained by a symphony of birds twittering in the back ground against the curtain of lush wild life. If you are a night person and like relaxing under the stars then the Sandy Bay hip Strip is the place on weekends. Meet Bagan and Pachi they will give you free jamaican dishes all you have to do is to buy their drinks and relax to the beat of the music.
Meet two of Jamaica's Great daughters Sandy Bay is the home of the international poet of merit and writer Juliet Christie Murray,
Writings from Jamaica Sandy Bay
What has Sandy Bay to offer in the near future?.
Keep in touch with this site.
We will be giving you some interesting historical and georaphical low down on the district soon
Yes it is worthwhile taking this trip to Jamaica.
You will get an experience to remember.
This great singer who is heading to be come a superstar is from Mount Pelier Sandy Bay Purchase his music from the banner to the side of this page. History Travelling from Hopewell to Lucea Sandy Bay lies between the Blue Hole and Tryall plantation properties . Originally it was the area from the post office to a little below the New Testament church of God. It was said to be one of the free villages and slave met there especially on Sundays to trade their products. This village was just a big sand dune brought in from a hurricane. There is not much flat land as the land rises sharply from the sea to the hill. Over time the district evolved taking in a part of Tryall and Blue hole Properties. Though so small it has amenities that many bigger districts do not have. Commendation must be given the late Senator Austin Taylor who worked relentless with his team to build the foundation. Some of the early families are the Magan, Walcott, Kerr,Seaton, Hall, Bowen Wainwright, Nelson, Murray, Reid , Johnson and Daley. Many of their descendants a still live in the district.
The Blue Hole river was the first place of interest known as one of the shortest or the shortest rivers in Jamaica rising out of the ground a few chains from the sea on the Blue Hole property. It is said that the Blue Hole River had seven mystic holes and each was enclosed by bushes and Job Tears grass identified by a coconut tree to ensure the safety of the people and their children. A few of these holes were used to make fish ponds in the 1980’s some of these ponds are now dry but a few still remain. Although found on the Blue Hole property the river belongs to the community of Sandy Bay. It is said that after emancipation the village slaves bought it for the village as it was the only source of water and the property owners wanted to control it. As was mentioned earlier the village was one of the free villages given to slaves.
Blue Hole hole found at the river head is said to be very deep , very blue ,bottomless and dangerous. Police hole- This hole was so named because a policeman drowned in it. This was seen least dangerous of the holes The death was seen as mysterious because the hole was shallow. Gold table Hole – It is told that in this hole a golden table came up and expose itself for 3 days. People tried pulling it out but could not. The owner of the property tied seven oxen to two for the exposed legs in an effort to reprieve it but the oxen all went under. People swear that it really happened however this story is similar to a number of stories from other parishes.
Mermaid Hole. One of the persons interviewed said as a young man his friend who he called by name went to the river and saw a beautiful lady sitting on a rock combining her hair and making strange sounds. He crept up to her and frightened her, she jumped off into the river leaving her comb. He took it home determined not to return it until he got something from her.
In the night he had a fever and he saw her in his dreams she told him to bring back the comb. He held the comb for 3 days but was ill for the 3 days. On the 3rd night she came back and told him she would kill him if he did not take it back to the river. He took it the next day. The night she came and tell him she would have given him something but because he was disobedient she would not. The relater of the story said he too went to see the lady but as he got near the river he tripped on a piece of wire and fell .When he got up he saw the ripples in the water indicative that someone just jumped in it. He was alone no one else was there.
Boiling hole – was an active hole situated before Taylor’ Drive about ½ a chain from the shore ‘that boiled sometime spewing water and sand above sea level. It is, said to have claimed lives. Sink Hole There- are numerous of these and some still are in the community . One is still on the high level road behind the dwelling of a citizen . Special places of interest. Turn pike is that area near the second to last road out of Sandy Bay. In this area there used to be a paddock for horse cows goats etc. In the same area people used to take bananas to be loaded on trucks and taken to be shipped in the Lucea harbour. The turn pike was like a needle that the animals go through I n this place cows were washed before milking.
Pound was situated somewhere before the recreation. Because it was an agriculture and fishing village many times strayed animal were caught and impounded thus the place was called pound. Before it was used as pound there was a house used as a hospital for cholera and small pox victims. A doctor used to visit and treat patients. After these were brought under control the place was used as a pound.
Bread fruit tree Was near by the S.D.A. church just a little below and on the opposite side. People from adjoining districts such as Hopewell , Mount Pelier, retirement, Barbican, cove, Jericho, came on Saturdays to sell their produce like a market. his bread fruit tree was special it was vey big, and stout with branches stretching wide and far but not going up it was a welcoming shade. Bar head is the area by Dave Wint’s supermarket and the former lollypop; in this area there once a gas station. At times about March and April each year the sea would recede from the land leaving a vast area of dry land. When it recedes two so call lakes remained. They were named girl white and boy white. Boys would bathe in one and girls bath in one they never mixed. This phenomenon was not something one could study because some time the tide would go for a few hours and then return. It was unwise to go far out if one could not swim. All that land was sometimes flooded to waist height. When dried it was used for all types of recreation especially cricket.
Formerly said to be built on a sand dune or bank Sandy Bay was once destroyed by a tidal wave in 1944. The sea came in and claimed a lot of the land for days canoes was use to move aboyt. .A manmade reef of rocks and wired was built starting from the Post office up to the end of the housing scheme , built to build back the beach and break the flow of the tide. Speaking to someone else she said that Sandy Bay has had numerous tidal waves in the past. Rising -From a little below the Sandy Bay cemetery the road gentle rose until it steeped right around the corner between turn pike and the cemetery now called Miss Gwen ‘s corner. All along this area was a wall but at the corner was 2 feet wide wall.. On this wall in the corner men would sit and looking over into the deep below. The area had lots of fish. Within 30 minutes a farmer would catch enough fish to take with him to his bush for lunch. It is said that that when a strange fisher came to the area he made such fine fishing nets catching thousand of fish two small to be eaten. After doing this for a number of years the fish colonies were depleted from which the communities still suffers. Olive tree coming in from Montego bay this was the area at the first road Turning into the Tryall housing Scheme. Author;Juliet Christie Murray.
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