2005 US/ICOMOS Interns in Jamaica

Melissa Belz (USA)
and
Michael Tornabene (USA)
Falmouth Heritage
Renewal

Falmouth, Jamaica

Right:  Don Jones (US/ICOMOS Director of Programs, back row left) with the US/ICOMOS Interns and Falmouth Heritage Renewal team.  Michael Tornabene is at top right and Melissa Belz is seated (bottom right) on the push cart.

Through a grant from the Dorothy-Ann Foundation, US/ICOMOS initiated a new internship exchange in the Caribbean.  In Fall 2005, two U.S. interns spent 8 weeks working with Falmouth Heritage Renewal.  In Spring 2006, two Jamaica interns from Falmouth spent 8 weeks working with the Jekyll Island Museum in Georgia. Click here to read about the Jamaican interns at Jekyll Island.

Michael Tornabene (standing)
and Melissa Belz using
a Jamaican push-cart
Falmouth Heritage Renewal, Falmouth, Jamaica

Falmouth, capital of the Parish of Trelawny, is situated on Jamaica’s north coast, approximately 30 km east of Montego Bay. Founded by Thomas Reid in 1769, Falmouth flourished as a county seat and market center for the Parish of Trelawny for forty years when Jamaica served as one of the world's leading sugar producers. The town was named after the birthplace of His Excellency Sir William Trelawny, Falmouth, Cornwall, England, Falmouth flourished as an international port-of-call, leading to the construction of numerous late 18th- and early 19th-century civic, commercial, and residential buildings.  Today, Falmouth is noted for being one of the Caribbean’s best-preserved historic towns.

Market Street in Falmouth
These internships were funded by the Dorothy-Ann Foundation.  In Spring 2006, two Jamaican interns will work with the Jekyll Island Museum in Georgia to complete the exchange.

Starting in 1840, Falmouth’s post-emancipation fortunes as a commercial center declined.  This decline and lack of support for development has left many of its early buildings standing. The streets are lined with many small houses known for their unique fretwork and windows, major merchant and planter complexes, and commercial buildings, all dating from 1790 to 1840.

In 2001, Falmouth Heritage Renewal was founded to work in partnership with the Falmouth Restoration, a Jamaican non-profit organization with a mission to preserve the historic integrity of Falmouth.  Today, these organizations work in collaboration with the Parish of Trelawny, the Jamaican Government, and several international organizations to serve its goals.

This program is particularly noteworthy for its community development efforts beyond historic preservation.  Each year, Jamaican youths (usually in the late teens or early twenties) work with trainers in the program to learn a variety of crafts necessary to restore historic buildings.

The "Manse" was originally constructed c. 1798 as a Masonic Lodge.  Today, the first floor serves as a workshop for Falmouth Heritage Renewal while the upper story has been converted to a dormitory for visiting field school students and interns.

Melissa Belz and James Parrent (Executive Director of Falmouth Heritage Renewal) slaking lime in the rea courtyard of the Manse.  The program maintains a ready supply of quick lime for use in restoration of historic limestone block buildings throughout Falmouth.

Local craftsmen and the Falmouth Heritage Renewal staff team-teach all courses, combining classroom lectures with hands-on training and fieldwork experience on structures within the Historic District of Falmouth.  Not only do these participants learn basic carpentry and masonry skills, they learn basic workplace survival skills, i.e., how to relate to supervisors, customers and co-workers. Topics of study include how a traditional house is made, restoration masony (making and using lime mortar), timber framing and repair, restoration joinery, and others.  Many of the program graduates use their newly-found skills to obtain jobs in Falmouth and across Jamaica.

US/ICOMOS Internships

Michael Tornabene and Melissa Belz brought complimentary skills to their internships in Falmouth.  Michael assisted with several wood restoration efforts, given his background in carpentry as well as historic preservation.  Melissa has extensive experience with earthen architecture and lime mortars.  In addition, they also worked together to evaluate the exterior facing of the Falmouth Court House to determine the original treatment of the facade and make recommendations for restoration.

Melissa Belz (below scaffolding) with two
Jamaica trainees painting a lime wash
lime wash on the Post Office
 

Click here for more photos of Jamaica

  

The US/ICOMOS International Intern Exchange Program is funded by a variety sources.  Each of the host organizations in the U.S. contributed funds that cover a substantial portion of the costs for interns from overseas.  Grants from private foundations and individual donors supported the internships for U.S. preservationists traveling overseas, with additional support from some of the overseas host organizations.  The 2005 overseas internships were supported by the Dorothy-Ann Foundation, Marpat Foundation, Keepers Fund for Historic Preservation, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Trust for Mutual Understanding, and contributions from numerous individuals.