James Fort

James Fort:

Fort James (sometimes called James Fort) was built by the Royal African Company of England (RAC) as a trading post for both gold and slaves in 1673.  Fort James traded with the Dutch Fort Crêvecœur (in 1649), and the Danish Fort Christiansborg (in 1652) along the coast of the then Gold Coast.  Fort James was most likely named after James, Duke of York, later King James II (1633-1701), who was Governor of the RAC at the time it was built and after whom the adjacent town of Jamestown in Accra is also named. The fort stands next to Jamestown Lighthouse and from the colonial era until 2008, served as a prison. Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah (1909-1972), was imprisoned there from 1950 to 1951 alongside common criminals.