Moneague

History

 

An old elegant inland town, Moneague once was one of the largest and most important towns in St. Ann because of its convenient location along the main north to south highway. Travellers doing the three-day journey would find it a pleasant stop because the climate in Moneague was significantly milder than in Kingston and Spanish Town, and at one point the town boasted many hotels, some said to be "the most charming in the island." The name, Moneague, is said to be a corruption of the Spanish "managua" after an underground lake in the area.

 

Local Flavour

 

Affectionately called “Swamp” by residents of Moneague, the Moneague Lake is a rather interesting phenomenon. Local legends maintain that the lake appears only once every hundred years, when it rises to swallow a valley to the north east of the town and tells of prosperity for the next few years to come. The truth is, the lake appears after any long protracted period of heavy rains, when the normal channels of drainage are blocked when both underground water backs up and settles and the excess surface water, having nowhere to flow away, saturate the land. As a result of changes to the land topography, due to bauxite mining, the lake has disappeared only once in the past thirty years and now is a rather permanent part of the landscape in Moneague.

 

Famous For

 

The combination of the natural landscape and the architecture of buildings in and around the town of Moneague is perhaps the town’s most attractive attribute. In Colonial days, Moneague was a town for the landed gentry, who built some of the most beautiful homes against the startlingly beautiful landscape. Many of these homes still exist today; the old Moneague Tavern (now Café Aubergine), the old Moneague Hotel (now the Moneague Community College), and the Lake House (now a private residence but still visible from the road) being some prime examples of these remarkable structures.

 

Don't Miss

 

Formerly known as the Moneague Tavern, today’s Café Aubergine, a small restaurant with a colourful

history, is still a landmark along the highway. In the old days, the tavern marked the midway point in a long journey between the North and South Coasts, but today, with new and improved road systems, the journey is shorter but still not complete with a stop there.

 

Say Hello To:

 

Beside the Moneague Lake there is a sign advertising “Silver Lake Camp” where patrons can access “Cabins, Boats, Live Music and Fun” The camp for the most part is no longer in operation, but its owner, Mr Earl Nunes, has lived beside the lake for more than 30 years and would be pleased to chat about Moneague, the lake and fishing techniques. Mr. Nunes also operates a one-man band (hence the Live Music) and may even treat you to an informal mini-concert.