Annie Palmer, The White Witch of Rose Hall

One time I was down to Jamaica to a place called Rose Hall Plantation
…A lady named Annie Palmer who lived in that great house there
…Well they tell a lot of tales about Annie
They say she had three husbands one at a time I guess
…On the Island of Jamaica quite a long long time ago
At Rose Hall Plantation where the ocean breezes blow
Lived a girl named Annie Palmer the mistress of the place
And the slaves all lived in fear to see a frown on Annie’s face
Where’s your husband Annie where’s number two and three
Are they sleeping neath the palms beside the Caribbean Sea
At night I hear you ridin’ and I hear your lovers call
And still can feel your presence round the great house at Rose Hall hmm
-The Ballad of Annie Palmer, Johnny Cash

Rose Hall Plantation– much better understood today as Rose Hall Great House– in Montego Bay, Jamaica is considered among one of the most haunted homes in the western hemisphere. It has such a well-known track record that the famous American singer and also songwriter, Johnny Money, created a tune popularizing the legend created by Herbert de Lisser who celebrated Annie Palmer in his book, White Witch of Rose Hall, released in 1929.

History of Rose Hall Plantation

On the shore of Montego Bay rests the stunning Georgian mansion, Rose Hall, integrated in the 1770s. Georgian structures have a tendency to be really symmetrical and look like Greco-Roman style with their simplistic style. Georgian-designed structures of the 1700s were an effort to revitalize the old Greco-Roman towers while instilling contemporary structure materials such as wood or stucco into the overall construction.

John Palmer, one of the previous owners of Rose Hall, got the residential property from his fantastic uncle, who owned as well as ran the estate mostly as a sugar plantation. Rose Hall was just one of the largest haciendas in Jamaica, reportedly having over 2000 slaves working its fields at one factor in its history.

Annie Satisfies John Palmer

Annie Patterson was born in Haiti in the late 1700s. With an unfavorable twist of fate, she lost both of her moms and dads to yellow high temperature when she was about six years old. Annie’s caretaker handled the obligation of increasing her and also it is while Annie was in her treatment that she allegedly discovered witchcraft and Voodoo.

During this time around, Haiti was ripe with chaos and was entrenched in a revolution salaried by its enslaved populace. This battle made it extremely hazardous for its white occupants as well as might have influenced Annie’s need to leave when she got to maturity.

Because of one more twist of fate– or as a result of Annie’s seasoned Voodoo abilities– John Palmer crossed her course when she was about 18 years old. He wed Annie as well as took her from Haiti back to Jamaica with him. Although John whisked this orphaned woman away as she had always dreamed, it is believed that wedded life was not the fairytale love that she might have visualized.

John was allegedly very violent to Annie, hence the resource of her scorn. She was supposedly disloyal, having taken a number of male slaves as her fans. It is uncertain if her indiscrimination caused John’s abuse or whether she took sanctuary in it as a result of his abuse and forget.

Annie Palmer and the Mysterious Deaths of her Three Partners

Annie’s marital relationship to John Palmer grew a growing number of estranged, till eventually John captured her interesting in sexual relations with among the male servants. This occurrence secured John’s fate because she is said to have utilized her Voodoo abilities to toxin him after he beat her. Annie was never ever implicated of his death and also went on to acquire the ranch and also his fortune.

After John’s death, Annie continued her lascivious methods with her male slaves. Yet to stop possible rumors from arising about her indiscrimination, she re-married. Her various other 2 spouses reportedly passed away under mystical situations for which she was never ever implicated. It is reported that they are hidden under the 3 palm trees that being in front of the luxury condo resorts near Rose Hall.

Takoo – Annie’s Lover and also Awesome

The slaves of Rose Hall plantation disliked Annie and also understood that she was associated with the strange fatalities of her other halves. She was described as a mean, cruel plantation mistress who tortured her slaves and also treated them extremely badly. After the fatality of each of her hubbies, she enhanced the horror upon her slaves as well as continued her relationship with particular male servants. When she wearied of them, she is claimed to have either cursed them with wizardry or killed them.

Among these lovers was an obeah man by the name of Takoo– a slave that stories claim also understood the black arts. In one version of the tale, Takoo was Annie’s fan who had actually grown tired of her ill-treatment as well as utilized wizardry to do away with her prior to she had a chance to utilize it to do away with him.

In one more variation, Takoo was associated with among her enthusiasts. Annie utilized black magic to eliminate Takoo’s relative and he returned the favor with a little black magic of his own. His spell apparently weakened Annie as well as while in an at risk state he suffocated her in among the rooms in Rose Hall. Takoo after that positioned her in a concrete coffin on the ranch and noted it with crosses to maintain her spirit from wandering and also haunting the land.

The Tale of Rose Hall Proceeds

Annie’s murder coincided with a servant uprising that emerged in Jamaica in 1831. After the uprising, Rose Hall fell into disrepair for a little over a century, till 1960 when former Miss United States, Michele Rollins, and also her husband John Rollins, purchased the residential or commercial property as well as refurbished it.

The tale of Annie Palmer is fairly an amusing tale because it is a lot more fiction than fact. This hasn’t repressed the legend, nonetheless. Popular ghost tv shows claim paranormal tasks exist in the manor as well as on its lands. Tourist guide for this prominent location remain to recant tales about this looting murderer who tortured people while she lived and also remained to haunt them after her death. These stories continue to add to the secret as well as attraction of the place.

It is thought that there was no such individual as Annie Palmer and that the other half of John Palmer was a lady named Rosa Palmer. Much of what is credited to the plantation and also John Palmer’s partner originates from guide written by Herbert de Lisser, who produced this publication because he thought that the rumors he had become aware of the estate’s hauntings were nonsense and he wrote this book to perpetuate the absurdity.

In spite of the legend having actually been confirmed as a scam, the manor remains to stay among the largest visitor destinations in Jamaica because of the on-going folktale. And like the lyrics of Johnny Money’s track says, site visitors to the estate can feel Annie’s visibility around the Rose Hall Great House.