The history of Negril Jamaica is as interesting as the history for the entire island. When the Spanish people arrived in the island they started naming the places with Spanish names. Today a lot of place names has a linkage to the Spanish period, Negril is said to be the shorter version for “Negrillo” which was the name the Spanish gave to the town in 1494. The black cliffs that could be found in the village is said to have influenced the naming of the place.

The Jamaica vacation town has a long history, but because the village was so laid back it was not until in the last stages of the 20th century it became popular.

In the later part of 1950’s, Negril started developing into a resort area, but they had some challenges in that visitors had to walked to shore when the ferry drop them off at the Bay. At this time there were not any proper accommodations available to the travelers who had to use tents and rent the homes of the local families. These kind and welcoming locals help to pave the way for the resort area that Negril has grown into today. In the late 60’s with more persons visiting and spreading the word, the reputation of the friendly and welcoming nature of the locals grew and very soon the first of the resort hotel was erected.

This development progressed and the earlier part of the 70’s saw the improvement of the road that extends to Montego Bay. This road was now a paved two lane and it helped tremendously to increase the status of the resort area. With these new infrastructures that were growing, it was decided that an airport would be constructed alongside the hotels that was catering to the needs of the winter tourist coming from North America. All of this was in anticipation of the growth in visitors coming from other parts of the world and soon after the Europeans started to arrive.

When you visit Negril, you will notice that the inland section has none of the beach that is located in the parish. This area is the wetlands and is a protected area that should not be disturbed because it helps the forming of sand that you will see on the beachfront. This area is called the Royal Palm Reserve and it lies in the Great Morass (swamp).

It is important that this area stay protected and organizations were established to preserve and maintain these places. In the year 1990, an organization which had no affiliation to the government was formed and was called the Negril Coral Reef Preservation Society to protect the corals. Eight years later the Marine Park was established in the resort town and covers areas in Hanover and extended to the Westmoreland area.

All of these measures are necessary because this little village turned popular resort town worldwide could easily disappear if persons do as they pleases with these areas that are to be left untouched. But notwithstanding all this, these protected areas is a good place to do some snorkeling and scuba diving.

History shows that Negril had its share of notoriety, as the pirates had some bad luck in this area. In the eighteenth century, Negril was the scene of the capture of one of the islands famous pirates named Calico Jack. At the trial, it was discovered that two of his crew was woman. It was believed that they were so enchanted with the place that they let their guards down.

One of the most mentioned places when you are learning about the town of Negril is the Lighthouse. This lighthouse was built in 1894 by a French company and was primarily used for guiding ships approaching the island in the early days. Today the lighthouse is one of the attractions when you visit Negril.