Why was the name Pomona chosen?
The name Pomona is derived the mythical Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens and orchards. Pomona was said to be a wood nymph. The area that is modern day Pomona was first called Macaroni Hill. This is the highest elevation in the area at 1,178 feet. It was sometimes referenced by Quarry Hill, a limestone quarry in the middle of the valley.
First records of the name Pomona being used was from 1913 when Mr. Alfred E. Vine the manager of the British Honduras Syndicate named his citrus orchard Pomona Holdings which he then sold to the colonial government in 1924 for the formation of an industrial school for boys. The name “Pomona” was kept after the Industrial School was built and the colonial government expanded the citrus orchards around the school.
Various old records from the late 1890’s show the land mark spelt “Maccarono” or sometimes “Maccaroni” being used to describe the area that is now Pomona. The 1911 census for British Honduras showed 113 persons living at Middlesex Farm. These were mostly persons who worked for the United Fruit Company which began growing bananas in 1909. The 1931 census recorded the number of persons living along the Stann Creek River to be 311.
First records of the name Pomona being used was from 1913 when Mr. Alfred E. Vine the manager of the British Honduras Syndicate named his citrus orchard Pomona Holdings which he then sold to the colonial government in 1924 for the formation of an industrial school for boys. The name “Pomona” was kept after the Industrial School was built and the colonial government expanded the citrus orchards around the school.
Various old records from the late 1890’s show the land mark spelt “Maccarono” or sometimes “Maccaroni” being used to describe the area that is now Pomona. The 1911 census for British Honduras showed 113 persons living at Middlesex Farm. These were mostly persons who worked for the United Fruit Company which began growing bananas in 1909. The 1931 census recorded the number of persons living along the Stann Creek River to be 311.