Saint Mary, Antigua and Barbuda: History
=== Jolly Beach people ===
The Amerindian Jolly Beach site is the most well-known example of a fully intact archaic habitation site, dating back to the earliest period of human occupation in Antigua and Barbuda. The site was inhabited between 3,500 and 4,000 years ago, according to two radiocarbon dates from 1,775 and 1,589 BC. The term "archaic age" refers to a time when agricultural practices and pottery production were not even possible due to a lack of technological advancements. The Jolly Beach inhabitants have subsisted on a variety of local vegetation and marine resources. They used wood, flint, shell, and volcanic stone as their tool materials. Similar tools have been discovered in South America, suggesting that the Jolly Beach people originated there. As opposed to the later Tainos and Island Caribs who were spotted by the European missionaries and explorers, it is unknown the name of the tribe who resided there or the language they spoke.
One of the locations of the earliest European settlements in Antigua is acknowledged to be Cades Bay. Nestled in the lee of the Sherkerley Mountains, this lush coastal plain is shielded by a substantial barrier reef. The most notable pre-Columbian archaeological deposit is from the early Ceramic Age (Arawak) Saladoid period, despite signs of Archaic Age occupation. The land is currently utilized for pineapple farming, which has caused significant disturbance. Nevertheless, during the ploughing sessions, important discoveries were made.
On 24 August 1681, Saint Mary's parish was founded. The parish was divided into three divisions in 1749: Old Road Division, Bermudian Valley Division, and New Division. The Johnsons Point, Crabs Hill, Urlings, and Old Road area, which is in the southern part of the parish, makes up the Old Road Division. Jolly Harbour and a portion of Bolans make up the majority of the Bermudian Valley Division. Most of the flat areas of the parish were located in New Division, which dominated the parish's northern area. There were more than twenty-nine slave plantations in Saint Mary.