Exploring Folly Ruins
Greetings my side!
Big up all the roadies! A few weekends ago, we headed out to Portland to shoot a scene for an upcoming #DownDiRoad special. In between locations we stopped at this place called Folly Ruins. Now every time I drive through Port Antonio, I have always passed the Folly cricket oval & heard that an old mansion was up there. The story behind the circumstances that lead to the mansion being dilapidated is very interesting to say the least.
History: Alfred Mitchell, a businessman from Salem, Connecticut, visited Port Antonio with his wife Annie Tiffany, heiress to the Tiffany fortune, in the early 1900's. Having fallen in love with the town, in 1905 they purchased land at Folly Point and constructed an elaborate home. The mansion was built as a replica of a Roman villa and boasted 60 rooms, marble floors, glass window and wooden doors. The Mitchell's lived in the home until 1911 when Alfred Mitchell died at the age of 80. Local legend of the Folly Ruins likens the name of the property to a mistake by the owner, who in an attempt to impress his bride, mixed seawater with the concrete to quickly construct the mansion. Upon seeing the house, already in a state of deterioration due to the instability of the concrete, his bride exclaimed 'what a folly!'
Source: VisitJamaica
Currently, the ruins are still an attraction and artists have painted murals throughout the property. The mansion has an aura exudes from it and a sense or mystery which is very appealing. Locals hang out there & explorers pass through quite often. There is a beach close by that isn't that great for swimming, but pretty beautiful non the less. The beach is also overlooking the real "Monkey Island" which got it's name when Alfred's pet monkeys escaped the mansion and lived over there.
All in all, the mansion is dope & a very cool spot to hang out. We headed to our shoot after a while & stopped in Boston & Long Bay. It's not often we take St. Thomas route back home, but it's always such a welcome change. Our pit stop at the roadside waterfall in Roselle/White Horses, St. Thomas was the perfect ending to the day.
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Until the next one. Blessings!
-Duane
