Story and photos by Tifaine Rutherford
Ask anyone about the famous silk cotton tree that is in the middle of the road at Perseverance, Mahaicony and you are sure to hear a myth or two. Often referred to as the ‘jumbie tree’ or ‘Dutch man tree’, what most people will tell you is that if one tries to cut it down, they will not succeed as the tree is full of spirits. They will also tell you that before the road was split in two, many people tried to cut it down but to no avail, hence the road was built around it.
At Perseverance, however, the 250 residents say that these are all stories from those who don’t know anything about the tree,