Moon Author's Review
The burning Morant Bay Courthouse played a central role in spurring the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865, in which disenfranchised poor led by Paul Bogle revolted against the local government and the white planters, sending tremors through the British Empire. A statue of Paul Bogle created by Jamaican art pioneer Edna Manley, wife of Peoples National Party founder Norman Manley, stands in front of the courthouse. The building was in use until early 2007 as the St. Thomas Parish Council offices before it was, once again, gutted by fire. A historic marker by the statue honors the many patriots buried behind the building, "whose sacrifice paved the way for the independence of Jamaica."
