The Tomb of Annie Palmer
The White Witch of Rose Hall is a legendary story of a haunting in Jamaica. According to the legend, the spirit of “Annie Palmer” one of the most evil plantation owners of her time, haunts the grounds of the Rose Hall Estate which is located in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Annie Palmer is said to be buried in a tomb on the grounds next to the great house. Local lore says that it was meant to be sealed in a Voodoo ritual that would have kept her spirit imprisoned forever. However, the ritual was never completed and Annie Palmer’s ghost roams free at Rose Hall to this very day.
The Legend of the White Witch
Annie Palmer, dubbed the White Witch of Rose Hall, was a female plantation owner of the most vicious sort. Born in England in 1802 she moved to Haiti when she was ten where her parents died from yellow fever and her nanny, a voodoo priestess, raised and nurtured her in the black arts.
After her nanny’s death she moved to Jamaica in search of a wealthy husband where she met and cast a spell on the owner of Rose Hall Estate, John Palmer, to trap him in marriage. Thus, she became the second mistress of the vast plantation that was once, and still is by many, regarded as the finest Great House on the island.
Shortly after they had settled down Annie poisoned her husband for control of the plantation. Not long after, she married again to another English planter who was stabbed to death. Not one to be lonely for long, Annie married a third time, and tiring once more of this husband, she strangled him with the help of one of her many lovers,Takoo, one of the workers on the plantation.
Annie ruled her plantation with an iron fist, and as a result of her voodoo practices, she was feared by all. She put to death anyone who disobeyed her orders and was said to have refurbished the basement of the great house turning it into a place where she could practice her black magic and dark arts.
Annie’s life came to an end when her lover, Takoo, took her life in retaliation for the death of his granddaughter whom Annie killed in a jealous rage. Takoo, who was also a practitioner of voodoo, with a combination of black magic and physical force, strangled Annie in her sleep.
Even in death, it was feared that she would use her powers from beyond the grave to reach out in her anger. She was buried in a tomb behind the house and a voodoo ritual was performed to keep her locked in. Notwithstanding this, the ritual was not completed, and Annie’s spirit was free to roam the plantation, and still does to this very day.
Facts
A song about the legend was recorded by Johnny Cash called “The Ballad of Annee Palmer”. For many years Cash owned the nearby Cinnamon Hill Great House.
