The town of Port Antonio was founded by the Spaniards in the 16th century, but they did not settle here. They called the town "Puerto Anton", after the name of the governor's son. In the 18th century the British settled here, they called the town Titchfield. A few years later, after a peace treaty was signed with the Maroons, the town expanded. But the town would languish for almost one hundred years. In 1871, with the arrival of Lorenzo Dow Baker, everything changed.
Mr. Baker came to Port Antonio and bought some bananas to ship home. They were so successful in the US, that he immediately came back and bought more. In a few years Port Antonio became the banana capital of the world. After a merger, his company became the United Fruit Company. This company would control the banana trade for more than a century.