Chapelton, Jamaica
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Chapelton | |
|---|---|
Market Town | |
  Chapelton | |
| Coordinates: 18°04′58″N 77°16′01″W / 18.082691°N 77.2669959°W | |
| Country | Jamaica |
| Parish | Clarendon |
| Elevation | 218 m (715 ft) |
| Population .[1] | |
• Estimate (2009) | 4,559 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
Chapelton is a market town in Clarendon Parish, Jamaica and the former parish capital.
According to a longtime resident:[2]
Back in the days of plantation slavery in Jamaica, the Chapleton locality was a plantocracy settlement. Instead of going to church in the capital May Pen, the plantation owners built a church in Chapleton where they worshiped. Local folk therefore talked about going to “the chapel in the town.” After a while, the town became known as Chapel Town but with the passing of time, the name became distorted and was shortened to become Chapelton.
Amenities
- Clarendon College, secondary school.
- Clarendon Hospital, built c1903, now a community Type 3 hospital.[2]
- Police Station.
- St Paul's Anglican Church, founded over 300 years ago.[3]
Transport
Road
Chapelton is on the B3 road which climbs up from May Pen in the south, passes through the center of the town and continues north towards Brown's Town.[4]
Rail
From 1925 to 1974 Chapelton was served by Chapelton railway station on the 21 mile railway branch line from May Pen to Frankfield.[citation needed]
