Since my first visit to Seaford Town, about a year ago, I’ve wanted to return – mostly to photograph a few of the traditional German cottages I’d noticed there. I got my chance this past weekend. This time, it wasn’t only about the cottages, it was to introduce Inge, my cousin’s German friend, who was visiting Jamaica for the first time, to Seaford Town, the largest German settlement here. I’m...

Negril’s legendary 7-mile white sand beach and its laid-back attitude draw thousands of visitors annually. Most are content with relaxing on the beach that straddles two parishes, Westmoreland and Hanover, but there are several reasons to get out and explore what lies beyond the sand on the Westmoreland side. The eighth largest of Jamaica’s 14 parishes, Westmoreland takes up the south western end of Jamaica. It was first settled by...

Seaford Town is probably the best known of the German settlements in Jamaica. Nestled in the Montpelier Mountains on western end of the island, Seaford Town is a small community that, in 1835, welcomed approximately 300 German nationals. There are at least two versions of the story of how they came. By one account, the planters, who were outnumbered by the slaves, feared for their own safety following the 1831...