Camp Verley

Camp
Verley is
one of the essential feature points of the Spring Garden
area. It is owned and operated by the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Jamaica
and is primarily used as their national campsite. It comes alive each year
during the summer as various Adventist youth from across the island gather
together for camp activities. The property was originally owned by Mr. Clyde Verley and was donated by him to the church through Mr.
Balfour Hurst who at one time, worked for Mr. Verley
and was also said to have been an Adventist. As a result, the camp site was
subsequently named after Mr. Verley. It is not clear
who owned the property prior to the Verleys but ongoing research may reveal
this.

It is also said that Mr. Hurst had
Jewish roots but became a member of the Christian religion at some point and
subsequently an Adventist. As the years ensued he saw it a fitting legacy and
therefore donated the property for the benefit of the church. Today, the
auditorium named the “Balfour Hurst auditorium” in his honor.

The property, in addition to being
a campsite, is also home to the legendary Spring Garden Bath
which is sourced from a natural spring and was originally the residence of Mr.
Vincent Verley (Clyde’s father). The
area had a guest house which was frequented by visitors of
the Verleys, and in its time, was a location for many
of their social activities. The house (now destroyed) was a large brick and
wood structure and some of its remains are still present. The property
originally had features of a botanical garden as seen by the many surviving
species of exotic vegetation still there today.

Spring village was previously
named Pot House Pen but was later changed by the Verleys,
who in their own “British” way, wanted the village to have a more
refined name. In fact, it is because of Spring Garden
why the Village got its current name.

The Camp
Grounds

The grounds of Camp Verley
are lush with vegetation and have many features including the auditorium,
dorms, pool and other camp related facilities.

The Auditorium is a large open
steel frame with one end enclosed as a back drop. It is used mainly to
congregate or host special indoor activities. The building was started over
fifteen years ago with a smaller structure but has been enlarged over the
years. There are over 10 double dorms on the property and these are used by the
different campers which attend. The sessions are grouped according to the
various ages and normally last for about one week.

To add the ambience of the grounds,
a water tower was built within the last few years to add to the charm of the
area. It is located on the right side of the property on entering and is opposite
to the auditorium. Its presence helps to bring balance to the property and
therefore becomes an appropriate addition for the open space which was bare for
so many years.

The tower is about 12 feet high and
about 10 feet in diameter at the base. It is mainly constructed with concrete
and stone and is crowned with decorative concrete blocks at the top rim. It
runs constantly and provides another option for cooling off on excessively hot
days.

The
main feature is of course is the pool, often referred to by locals as “Bath”. It
constantly draws visitors to the area and is always the sight of much
frolicking.

Besides the facilities of the main
area, the mango trees around the campus and deeper within the nearby woods are
constantly visited by campers. These host a reasonable variety of mangoes like
Stringy, Blackie, Number 11 and other juicy components of the forest. Besides mango
trees, the young visitors would also pass several Guineppe
trees heavily weighed down with their tantalizing offerings. Just
the mere sight of these, becons a resounding “mmmmmm!” from deep within.

In addition to fruit trees,
visitors frequently encounter various birds and other small wildlife within the
area. At times, many doves and other small birds can be seen sailing through
the trees. It is also not unusual to see a mongoose or other small rodents
within these woods.

The Pool

As noted, one cannot enjoy the
full experience of Camp
Verley
without taking timeout to sample the refreshing waters of the pool. From the
picture above, it as a favorite spot for the many young visitors as they enjoy
its waters. Set in the backdrop of immense greenery, the pool is the star
attraction of the property. It not only defines the area but is an integral
part of its history. The waters flow from a natural spring, which throughout
the years, was the chief source of water for domestic
and irrigation for Spring
Village.

The water from the pool now runs
off into the Innswood Sugar plantation located within
its vicinity, but further up, it still flows to the village through large pipes
as was done for many generations.

The
pool, set in a lush backdrop is surrounded by various trees such as Mango,
Breadfruit and other various fruits including banana and sugar cane. It is also
prominently graced by two large palms of which are vestiges of its past.

As seen, a huge tree, which became
a casualty from a recent storm fell along the far side of the pool. It narrowly
missed it but serves as a reminder for us not to take such beauty for granted.

The campgrounds of Camp Verly is one which leaves its
visitors with lasting memories and for every visit, it beckons their return, if
not in the near future, then somewhere in their dreams.

~*~

Information for further reading:

Spring Village Seventh Day
Adventist Church

Seventh
Day Adventist of Jamaica Directory

Thetford Great House          National
Heritage Trust web site

The Verley Family Tree        Family
Tree Website

Search
for Family Names      Jamaica
Family search site

Search
for Old Almanacs      Jamaica
Almanacs search site

Jamaica Sugar
Estates 1900’s Candoo.com, Resources

Property owners in
1800’s    Bromfeild family Research Site

Genealogy Research            Bromfeild family Research Site

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