Green Castle Estate was first inhabited by the Taino Indians, Jamaica’s original inhabitants. A number of archeological excavations were sponsored by the MacMillan family, the results of which provide an insightful look at Taino life as well as the chance to take a walk where those Jamaican ancestors once lived. As Jamaica became a Spanish colony in the early 1500s, there is historical evidence of them passing through Green Castle Estate, but they left nothing behind. When the British gained control of the island from the Spanish in 1655, Green Castle Estate’s new life began as a sugar plantation. It is recorded that Sir Thomas Modiford, the first English civilian governor, owned Green Castle Estate. As it passed down through the family, it was named Green Castle Estate after family land holdings in Ireland. During the sugar plantation days Green Castle Estate thrived. Historical remains of those days include a windmill tower from the mid 1700’s used for grinding sugarcane and an army barracks for British soldiers stationed at Green Castle Estate. The Estate House library collection has interesting books, articles and publications to provide background to the history of Green Castle Estate and its stories.