Hannah Town revisited

My article on the history of Hannah Town, which was published in The Gleaner on August 25, had feedback from people who grew up in and around Hannah Town in the 1950s. These readers pointed to omissions about Hannah Town in my original article. I am taking this opportunity to expand my article by adding the new information which has come to my attention, as follows:

In the beginning

On the establishment of Hannah Town, the late Anthony Johnson, in his book Kingston, Portrait of a City states that Hannah Town was likely established by John Hannah by 1790. It was subdivided and housing lots sold to the non-white population. Johnson states that Hannah Town appeared in the 1807 map of Kingston and St Andrew, drawn by Surveyor-General Major Joseph Pechon.

The History of the Jamaica Methodist District states that the first Methodist meeting place and residence was established in a house in Hannah Town in August 1789 by Dr Thomas Coke and Reverend William Hammet. Anthony Johnson also mentions in his book that the first Methodist mission was in Hannah Town at this time. Thus, Hannah Town would have been established before 1815 as given in other sources and used in the previous article.

Other Churches

Readers have pointed out, and this has been confirmed, that St Anne’s Roman Catholic Church at Percy Street, established in 1914, and its infant and primary school, are in Hannah Town. The 1957 Kendal crash involved parishioners from St Anne’s and many would have been from Hannah Town. The Kendal memorial has just been unveiled.

The Pentecostal City Mission Church, which has been in Jamaica for nearly a century, is located on Blount Street.

The churches continue to contribute to the community and its environs to the extent possible.

The businesses

Hannah Town Bakery (HTB):

Hannah Town is both a residential and commercial area. It was considered almost sacrilegious not to have mentioned the Hannah Town Bakery (HTB) which was at 3 Blount (or Blunt) Street in Hannah Town. It was one of the pioneer bakeries in Kingston and St Andrew. It seems to have been established, at least, in the 1920s by a group Chinese businessmen, George Ho, Lee Pow Young, Lee Ten Sang and others. A grocery, a bakery and residence was at 3 Blount Street for many years.

HTB became famous for its harddough breads, buns, and bullas. The quality of its products was “hard to beat”, which was its advertising slogan. In the 1960s, it was owned by Francis Chang, who was from Hong Kong. In 1972, HTB, with its popular products, especially its Easter bun, was acquired by the National Continental Corporation and later ceased to operate from Hannah Town. This was a big loss to the community. The HTB trademark has been maintained.

The shops:

Like other communities, Hannah Town also had various small businesses, including Chinese grocery shops, among them that owned by the Ho-Shing’s (Miss May’s) on Hannah Street.

There are some well-known people who emerged from Hannah Town and its environs, including Marcia Griffiths, Ruth Ho Shing, and Florizel Glasspole.

Readers recall fond memories of their childhood in Hannah Town and its environs during the 1940s and ‘50s, in spite of reports that it has had a reputation for crime and disorder through much of its history.

Prepared by Marcia E. Thomas, history enthusiast and member of the Jamaica Historical Society and Built Heritage Jamaica