August 15, 2008

When in a foreign country, even on a "working trip", it is interesting to take a few minutes to see some of the local sights. And because of my love of history and historical places, I couldn't help wondering about some of the history of the area of Jamaica we were in.

After we visited the elementary school in Lucea, as we were driving back to the church building, someone mentioned something abot an old fort being down one of the roads. That sounded interesting, but I didn't think too much of it. But then a few days later, we had a few minutes to spare, so we drove over to the fort so that those of us who hadn't been before would have a chance to see it.

When we drove up, there were no markers, no signs, nothing to show any significance to the area. We walked past some old buildings and into what was obviously the fort itself.

The walls of the fort were about eight feet high, made of old brick and rock, and they looked to be quite weathered, as if they had been around for quite a while. Along the wall were arched openings, and through those you could see the blue waters of the bay. There were stairs at the corners to get to the top of the wall. But more noticeable at the corners were large cannons, hulking, rusting, sitting on some sort of mechanism that used to allow for their movement. These guns were perhaps eight feet long or longer, massive in size. It looked as though a direct hit from one would be fatal for a ship in the bay. Inside the fort walls was a large grassy courtyard.

Laura had gone to inspect one of these archways, and she quickly called me over. She was amazed by how it was quiet while you were inside the fort, but once you stuck your head outside one of the arches, you could hear the roar of the water on the rocks down below. Quite an amazing difference - perhaps emphasizing the feeling of safety while inside the fort. And the view down the rocks to the blue water, accented by white where the water crashed into the rocks, was pretty amazing as well. Also, the archways made for great portrait spots, as several people were having their pictures made there.

We walked around and climbed up on the wall, partly to see the view, and also to get another look at the big guns of the fort. It was quite a view from up there, looking down to the left to see a rock outcropping that went toward the bay. Directly across the bay was the new resort that we had passed on the road. And of course the water in the bay, a brilliant blue even under the overcast sky and the few sprinkles of rain that were falling.

It was easy to stand there and imagine yourself in some time long past. But I wondered what time past that actually was. Being the history guy that I am, I wanted to know more. But while we were there, there wasn't much more to be known. Soon, our time was up and we had to leave. I quickly snapped a few more pictures as we headed back to the vans.

At the church service that night, we were standing around talking to some of the kids. Someone mentioned that we visited the fort, and the kids knew where it is since several of them go to school right next to the fort. I asked if they knew when it was from, or who it was there to protect against. One said maybe it was the Spanish, another thought it was the English. But they didn't know much more about it, besides the fact that it had been a fort, and it was old. I can't say much, because I don't always know much about the history that is right around me either. I guess we take such things for granted when we are around them all the time.

Some time after we got home from the trip, I was looking through my pictures of the fort, and I decided to go online and see what I could find. And I was immediately fascinated by the results!

According to various internet sites, Fort Charlotte was built in 1761 during the reign of King George III and named after the queen. Or, according to other documents, the fort was built in 1756 and named Fort Lucea, then renamed during the reign of King George III. At one time it had over 20 cannons through the arched openings, along with the two large George III guns (named for the king) which are still there. Built by the British to defend the northwest section of the island, the fort was to protect against French invaders. But at least a couple mention that it was also to defend against pirates. It is even said that Fort Charlotte was where William Bligh, later captain of the Bounty first met Fletcher Christian, who would be one of the mates on the Bounty and lead the mutiny against Captain Bligh. And either the fort presented a formidable image, or things weren't as bad as thought, because it is said that no shots were ever fired from the fort's guns.

Whatever the true history of Fort Charlotte, it did have a unique atmosphere. In fact, it reminded us very much of the fort in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, with its high walls above a rocky cliff. It is fun to imagine being inside the fort as a pirate ship sails into the bay, and it is easy to picture such a scene in one's mind. And imagining it is probably better than the real thing, because such situations probably were not as safe and friendly as they appear in the movies and theme park attractions.

Of course in these days such a fortess would not provide much protection against modern artillery. But in its time, Fort Charlotte was a symbol to the people of power and strength.

He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge. - Proverbs 14:26

See more pictures from Fort Charlotte in the DesertedIsland.net Gallery.

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