Tourists taking pictures of the popular 'Redemption Song' statue by artist Laura Facey Cooper which stands outside Emancipation Park in New Kingston. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

1962-2007: 45 years of nationhood

Every day until August 6, The Gleaner looks back at significant milestones that have helped shape the nation. Don't miss this nostalgic journey.

During the latter years of the 20th century, the Liguanea Club, a recreational and social club for the upper classes in Jamaican society, donated seven acres of the 35 acres it owned in New Kingston, St. Andrew, to the Government.

Many views were considered for the use of this land. Some felt it should be converted into a business district while others wanted a multi-functional entertainment complex, including a state-of-the-art theatre, built on the site. However, the large financial input needed for either venture was not forthcoming.

The land was transferred for one Jamaican dollar to the National Housing Trust on the condition that a park should be built and maintained at the location.

For years, this land was a dust bowl, without any beauty or character. Children played games such as six-a-side football in the dust. It was also the site of the climax of the annual Jamaica Carnival where the revellers gyrated to the hypnotic calypso and soca beat of the road march.

The trust converted it into a park, named Emancipation Park, with exquisite plants, lush gardens and rejuvenating water features, and 1,500-metre jogging track. The entrance is dominated by an 11ft. high bronze sculpture of a nude black male and female standing in a pool of water, and gazing to the skies - symbolic of their triumphant rise from the horrors of slavery. It was created by Laura Facey-Cooper.

An empty bench sits between the natural and the artificial at Emancipation Park, New Kingston, on March 3. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

The inauguration plaque of Emancipation Park. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer