Woodstock - History

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History

Woodstock is not only a beautiful and serene location, it also has a rich history. Located about 2000 feet above sea level in northeast Westmoreland, the property holds a fraction of the Jamaican cattle heritage and a passage in Jamaican history.

The 1818 Jamaican Almanac, which covered the period 1817 – 1818, also shows that the property housed 35 slaves and a stock of 92. The crop account published in 1837 shows definitively that Woodstock’s main business was cattle as it identifies the extensive trade property owners had with various properties in the western region of the island and in the parish of Westmoreland. The account also mentions the presence of other livestock such as sheep, horses and mules, which were used domestically. There is also evidence of ginger being grown for export to London during the period 1836 – 1837. Further accounts reveal a steady trade in slaves during the 1840’s.

A Woodstock Little Pen is mentioned in the list of Properties of 1912 with acreage of 1263 and its owner is stated as being Dr. Charles Harvey until 1938.

Woodstock was purchased by Tony Hart in 1983 as a hobby farm and retreat. A farmhouse high in the mountains behind Montego Bay, it was built in 1911 as a cattle farm to provide lumber and livestock for sugar factories in the low-land (oxen were used to pull carts to and from the factories in these earlier times, and beef was needed to feed the workers). Woodstock was dilapidated when Hart bought it but was much restored.

The property changed hands once more to its current owner Somewhere Else Tours Ltd. who has restored the building to it's original Georgian style of Architecture and is managing the property as an elite guesthouse.

Today we open our doors and invite you to come and experience the tranquility and adventure of Woodstock.