Three Seaford Town Buildings - Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Sacred Heart Rectory and Seaford Town Training Villa (former Sacred Heart Convent)

Historical Significance

The most visible evidence of the German heritage in Jamaica is the village of Seaford Town in Westmoreland. On December 10, 1835, 532 Germans from Hanover (in Germany) and the Wesergland arrived on the ship ‘Olbers’ at Rio Bueno in Trelawny. Of this group, 249 persons comprising 84 men, 72 women, 45 boys under 16 and 48 girls under 16 formed the basis of the German township of Seaford Town. The others went to Somerton and Montego Bay in St. James and Ulster Spring in Trelawny.

Seaford Town was part of a larger effort to establish European settlements in the interior of the island as full freedom approached for the Black population. The intention was to avert a mass exodus of newly freed Africans to these parts of the island after emancipation. Lord Charles Seaford gave 500 of his 10,000-acre Montpelier Mountain Estate to establish the European settlement, which was named in his honour.

When 249 German immigrants arrived at Seaford Town, lured by the promises of land, work and houses, they found instead a wilderness with only a few of the promised houses ready. The arrangement was that the immigrants should arrive, occupy cottages previously built for them, and be provisioned and paid weekly allowances until they had established themselves. Also, they were to be given free titles to their lots at the end of five years’ residence; however, the first titles for the settlers at Seaford Town were not in fact delivered until 1850, some fifteen years later. To survive, the Germans had to complete the construction of their houses, learn to plant yams, coffee, plantains, and other small crops, and learn to speak the local language. Malnutrition, tropical diseases and migration to the United States cut the population of Seaford Town to just over 100 people within two to three years after their arrival, but those who remained persevered and some of them found ways to make a living outside of agriculture – bakers, shoemakers, shopkeepers.

The Roman Catholic Church has a strong presence in Seaford Town. Ironically, most of the original German settlers were Protestant, but no minister had accompanied them. Although Roman Catholic priests began visiting Seaford Town periodically from 1839, it was not until 1873 that a permanent mission was set up. One of the early ministers was Father Tauer, an Austrian, who established a church there and brought most of the settlers into the Catholic faith. Father Francis Kempel, who supervised the construction of the convent and two schools, and Father Francis Friesen, who established the museum and the St. Boniface Training Centre, are also two of the Catholic ministers who did much to foster a sense of community in Seaford Town. The Sacred Heart Mission, the Rectory, and the former Catholic Convent stand as reminders of the contribution of the Catholic missionaries.

The settlement at Seaford Town has shifted over time from the north to the south. Very few of the original houses remain. The houses patterned off that of the original settlers have a similar design to that of the Jamaican vernacular, with fretwork and a distinctive type of gable with two small windows over the doorway.

Apart from the shift in the settlement, Seaford Town has seen many changes. There has been racial integration between those of German descent and African descent, which has resulted in a number of individuals of mixed race. Added to this, there has been significant migration, beginning in the 1980s, of German descendants to Canada. By the late 1970’s there were 330 residents, of which 318 were white descendants of the original German settlers. By 2002, 157 white Germans remained in the town. This number continues to decline due to migration and persistent interbreeding with other racial groups.

Today, some German names and some customs, particularly those relating to the preparation of food, such as roast pork, have survived; but no German is spoken with the exception of a few words known and used only by the elderly.

Three structures (the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the Sacred Heart Rectory and the Training Villa (former Sacred Heart Convent) were designated as Protected National Heritage by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.