‘Living on piece of Jamaica’s history’ - ‘Fox’ makes old railway station his home

If your interest lies in historical sites, then the Sutton railway station in Clarendon is definitely a good pick. Constructed in the early 20th century, the Georgian timber house, which is set on a stone base, is now occupied by Michael 'Fox' Hutchinson.

He said that he and his family have been occupying the building for more than five decades.

"This has been my home since 1962. My father got it to rent, and then he would eventually buy it. Mi say is the best thing him ever do for us because this is like. It was fun for me as a youth as I would take train ride very often. I would sit or stand at the top of the train as it moves, and when it reaches near to a tree, mi would just drop flat pon mi belly. Everyone would wait for the train right here, on the step, and market people used to carry them goods and pack up from the night before," he said.

Hutchinson said he has tried to keep the house in its original form, although he has made several repairs to it.

"There is a lot of rich history here. One time, people used to come here to host wedding receptions and so on. This has not been done in a while, but what I try to do is to make the place as attractive as possible. I plant a lot of flowers and make sure that the lawn is well kept. It is very eye-catching, especially during the Christmas season as I put up a lot of pepper lights and thing," he said.

Hutchinson told the CENTRAL STAR that he would like to see the old railway station become more of a tourist attraction as many persons are still not aware of the spot.

"This is like a monument to me, and I am open to using it for events and so on. From time to time, tourists will come here and take picture, but that is just it for now. I am certain a lot of persons that even live in the parish don't really know about the railway station and the story behind it," Hutchinson said.

"I remember when people used to just come stand up here, well dressed, and a wait on the train. Man, I am talking about dozens of persons on my doorsteps. Clarendon is more than just crime. We have a lot of historical sites here, and I live on one of them. I would want to see my little town named Sutton become a tourist attraction," he said.

Sutton Railway Station was declared a building of architectural and historic interest by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust in 2003.