Careysburg, Liberia
Encyclopedia
Careysburg is a city in Montserrado County
, Liberia
. It was founded in 1856, and is named in honor of Rev. Lott Carey, the first American Baptist missionary to African and a key figure in the founding of the Colony of Liberia. It is located 15 miles northeast of Monrovia
.
It was chartered as a city corporation in 1923, by an act of the Liberian legislature.
Rubber and coffee farming are the major economic activities in the area. It was also the site of a large Voice of America
transmitter.
to travel within the country for the purpose of locating an elevated region to establish a settlement to ensure better health conditions for Americo-Liberian
settlers. It was further resolved by the Liberian legislature, per Section 12 of said Act: “That the settlement to be founded in the Queh Country shall be named Careysburg, in honor of the late Rev. Lott Carey, and that all other settlements shall be named according to the pleasure of the Legislature". The site that became Careysburg was selected for its abundance of fresh water, potential for agriculture, its cool temperature, absence of deadly mosquitoes, and scenic view. At the time, the people living in the surrounding area were of the Kpelle
, Gola
and Queh tribes, and Rev. Says negotiated with local tribal chiefs to purchase land.
In 1859, Careysburg was settled by North American freed slaves, mainly from the United States
and Barbados
. However, some Africans recaptured from ships at sea, destined for sale as slaves in Europe and America, were also settled in Careysburg.
Montserrado County
Montserrado County is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has four districts. Bensonville serves as the capital with the area of the county measuring , the smallest...
, Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
. It was founded in 1856, and is named in honor of Rev. Lott Carey, the first American Baptist missionary to African and a key figure in the founding of the Colony of Liberia. It is located 15 miles northeast of Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
.
It was chartered as a city corporation in 1923, by an act of the Liberian legislature.
Rubber and coffee farming are the major economic activities in the area. It was also the site of a large Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
transmitter.
History
About nine years after Liberia declared its independence on 1847, the Liberian legislature passed an Act authorizing Rev. John Says, as an agent of the American Colonization SocietyAmerican Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society , founded in 1816, was the primary vehicle to support the "return" of free African Americans to what was considered greater freedom in Africa. It helped to found the colony of Liberia in 1821–22 as a place for freedmen...
to travel within the country for the purpose of locating an elevated region to establish a settlement to ensure better health conditions for Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberian
Americo-Liberians are a Liberian ethnicity of African American descent. The sister ethnic group of Americo Liberians are the Sierra Leone Creole people who are of African American, West Indian, and liberated African descent...
settlers. It was further resolved by the Liberian legislature, per Section 12 of said Act: “That the settlement to be founded in the Queh Country shall be named Careysburg, in honor of the late Rev. Lott Carey, and that all other settlements shall be named according to the pleasure of the Legislature". The site that became Careysburg was selected for its abundance of fresh water, potential for agriculture, its cool temperature, absence of deadly mosquitoes, and scenic view. At the time, the people living in the surrounding area were of the Kpelle
Kpelle
The Kpelle people are located primarily in an area of central Liberia extending into Guinea. They speak the Kpelle language, which belongs to the Mande language family....
, Gola
Gola (ethnic group)
The Gola or Gula are a tribal people living in western Liberia. The Gola language is part of the Southern branch of the West Atlantic language family; , it is spoken by approximately 107,000 people....
and Queh tribes, and Rev. Says negotiated with local tribal chiefs to purchase land.
In 1859, Careysburg was settled by North American freed slaves, mainly from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. However, some Africans recaptured from ships at sea, destined for sale as slaves in Europe and America, were also settled in Careysburg.