‘You Cannot Put New Wine in an Old Bottle’: A 145-Year-Old Trelawny Church Faces Demolition After Melissa

• Six churches in Duanvale, Trelawny, were damaged by Hurricane Melissa
• Frazerville Methodist, 145 years old, was left roofless with three walls
• The 125-year-old Trittonville Baptist Church was completely destroyed
• Leaders want to preserve the ruins, but engineers say they must come down

In the small Trelawny community of Duanvale, Hurricane Melissa damaged six churches. Two of them, both more than a century old, were wrecked. The Sunday Gleaner’s Adrian Frater reported in December 2025 that the 145-year-old Frazerville Methodist Church and the 125-year-old Trittonville Baptist Church had been completely destroyed.

Frazerville now has no roof, and only three of its four walls are standing, with its contents buried under rubble. Meris Palmer, the church administrator, said she and other members broke down in tears when they saw it. “I was christened in there. This is the church of my parents and grandparents, on both sides,” she said.

The congregation has not held a service in the old sanctuary since the storm. “We have not had a service since Melissa; we have a church hall that was newly built and that is where we are going to worship, but we have no light and no water, so it is inconvenient to worship right now,” Palmer said.

The bigger question is what happens to the building. According to the Gleaner, national church leaders want to keep the remaining structure as part of their heritage, but engineers insist the remnants must be demolished and replaced. Palmer sided with rebuilding: “The church is destroyed. We have three walls standing, but you cannot put new wine in an old bottle, so, we have to take down that and rebuild.” She described the old church as “just marl and stones.” Nearby, the Faith Tabernacle Apostolic Pentecostal Assemblies of Jesus lost a large part of its roof but kept worshipping. “We have not missed a single day of worship since the hurricane,” said Charlene Williams-Fletcher.

Duanvale’s dilemma is being repeated across western Jamaica. Congregations must weigh heritage against safety and the cost of rebuilding. Consolidating old stone walls can cost more than starting again, but losing them means losing something that cannot be replaced. For Trelawny families at home and abroad whose baptisms, weddings and funerals took place in buildings like Frazerville, the decision is personal. It is also financial, because it will be their contributions that fund whatever rises in its place.

Follow Jamaica Homes on Youtube @jamaicahomes and Instagram @jamaica_homes and on Facebook @jamaicahomesnews Send us a message or email us at onlinefeedback@jamaica-homes.com or editor@jamaica-homes.com