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I love history, but in Jamaica you will hear so many "stories" about the histories of buildings, areas, people, etc... that it's difficult to know what is actually true!! LOL! So I am always fascinated to read the research of others to tell me what really happened. In the case of Folly Great House (or Folly Mansion), this author of The Errol Flynn Blog did a great job - I've given you an excerpt below of his article, but be sure to follow the link at the end of the post to read the whole story and see his wonderful photos of the house (then and now) and the family who lived there.

VISIT: If you want to visit Folly to see it for yourself, follow the A4 east out of Port Antonio. Turn left on Folly Road which is on the east side of Port Antonio's East Harbour. The road takes you along the harbor and past a cricket field until you find the ruins of the Great House. As you can see from my photo, there are weeds growing through the crumbling structure and there is usually some trash and graffiti, but you can see what a lovely great house it must have been. Folly Point Lighthouse (1888) is also at the end of this peninsula and worth a trip. The Folly Estate today hosts many reggae shows and the annual Portland Jerk Festival in July.

Errol Country. Part II
by john on Sat 20 Mar 2010 10:08 AM PDT

Alfred Mitchell, from Salem, CT was a rich traveler who had been just about everywhere when he happened upon Port Antonio. He and his wife, Annie Tiffany Mitchell, stayed at the then booming Titchfield Hotel and, while there, fell in love with the area. Alfred decided to build a winter home on what was known as "Folly Point" (across the bay from Port Antonio). He purchased the land and set about building a Greek-Roman style villa in the winter of 1904-1905.

It was a huge undertaking and cost a fortune, but Mr. Mitchell was happy with the outcome and built horse stables, a "Grotto" and Greek Cupola on the point to watch the breakers, and a large tropical garden on the property. It was a grand thing indeed. The house even had a steam-powered electrical generator in the basement and electric lights, which at the time, were the very latest luxury indeed. The mansion even had running water and a walk-in sauna bath on the lower level that measured 88' by 10' and 5' deep. Mr. Mitchell even had the first automobile in Jamaica, brought over by ship.(A huge Rolls-Royce touring car) Things were good indeed for the Mitchells.....

Alas, nothing lasts forever, and in the spring of 1911, Alfred died at the ripe old age of 80. Annie stayed in the mansion for two more winters and sold the home and land to one of Lorenzo Dow Baker's sons who kept it for 4 years before abandoning the property. The JA gov. took over the place eventually and it fell into ruin. There are rumors of the builders mixing salt water into the concrete and that being the reason for the roof falling in around 1935, but that rumor, like so many others, is completely false. First, N.Y. construction firm, James Wilkerson & Co.. was a tried and true professional outfit that, because of the remoteness of the location, brought everything with them by sailing ship to construct the house (including the water). Also, the second floor was made from wooden beams. The concrete portion has held up remarkably well considering the location and the 100 years that have passed. Also the local people raided the house shortly after it was abandoned and ripped out the second floor columns which supported the roof, and generally took whatever was not nailed down... (continue reading at The Errol Flynn Blog.)

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