Location: 10 mi (16 km) East of Montego Bay
Tel: 876 953 2323
Open: 9am-5pm daily
Open: 9am- 6pm; last tour starts at 5:15pm
Evening tours are held from 6:30pm till 9:15pm
Rose Hall is a colonial mansion famous for its interesting history
and paranormal activity that some claim is present here. Rose Hall
is located 10 mi (16 km) East of Montego Bay in Jamaica. Rose Hall
is one of the most famous residents in Jamaica. It is a three storey
Georgian mansion that holds a commanding heights 3 km to the East of
Ayronshora. It was constructed began in 1750's by George Ash and
finally completed in 1770's by John Palmer, a wealthy Jamaican
planter. He named his residence after his wife Rose Palmer. He and
his spouse was famous on the island for lush parties and magnificent
balls that were held in Rose Hall. During the Christmas Rebellion of
African slaves in 1831, Rose Hall was burned down and it laid in
ruins for more than a century.
Rose Hall became most famous
when it was owned by Annie Palmer, known locally simply as a "White
Witch". She married the owner of the estate John Rose Palmer and
moved here. Many people believed thst Annie Palmer was into black
voodoo magic that she learned from her nanny who came from Haiti.
Her interests however took a much darker direction. Soon many of the
African slaves experienced some of the worst treatment. Many men
disappeared without a trace. Rumors about their terrible fate began
to circulate around Rose Hall. Additionally Annie Palmer's husband
John Rose Palmer died suddenly under strange circumstances. Same
happened to the second and third husbands as well. Annie Palmer was
never officially charged and died in her lavish Rose Hall estate at
the old age. Legends nevertheless and scary stories endured former
inhabitants of the estate. Some believe that Annie and her
unfortunate victims still haunt the premises of the house.
Rose Hall was restored to its former glory in 1966. Its cellar has
its own English style pub. Some people say that after drinking
signature rum based cocktail "Witch Broth" you can any type of
ghost. Obviously stories of Annie Palmer are of particular interest
among the tourists. On the first floor you can see terrible traps
that were set in place around the perimeter of the former
plantation. They were used to catch any runaway slaves that tried to
escape the premises of Rose Hall. In addition to physical things
many guests are drawn to eerie legends of ghosts, unexplained sounds
and full body apparitions of Annie Palmer and her unfortunate
victims.
Practical Information
Rose Hall is situated 20 minutes of driving from the Montego Bay. Rose Hall can only be visited with an organized tour, that takes about 45 minutes. Entrance Fee is USD 20 for adults and USD 10 for children.