The Dungeon Under the Court: Jamestown’s Forgotten Slave Story

Beneath Jamestown’s lively streets lies a chilling remnant of Ghana’s slave trade — one that few know exists.

If someone told you that just beneath a schoolyard, a basketball court, and two famous boxing gyms in Jamestown lies a slave dungeon, would you believe them?

It sounds unreal — but it’s true.

This isn’t Cape Coast or Elmina. This isn’t the dungeon you learned about in textbooks or visited on a class trip. This one is tucked away in Bukom, Jamestown, right under your feet… and almost no one talks about it.

A Place Built to Break You

The first thing that hits you when you enter the dungeon isn’t the darkness — it’s the heat. It’s the kind of heat that clings to your skin and makes it hard to breathe. Now imagine 200 people trapped here, for two to three months, with no sunlight, no fresh air, and no hope.

They weren’t just held here — they were broken here.

“You will not bath. You will not see light. You’ll drink from a pipe, eat through a hole in the wall, and relieve yourself right where you sleep.”

That’s how one visitor described it, standing inside the space, visibly sweating, struggling to even breathe as he spoke.

Right Beneath Everyday Life

Today, that same dungeon sits quietly beneath a basketball court where kids run up and down laughing. Next to it, two world-class boxing gyms — Willpower Gym and Attoh Quarshie’s Sweet Boxing — train Ghana’s next champions. There’s a school nearby too.

Nobody walking by would suspect the pain buried beneath.

And maybe that’s the saddest part — how easily pain gets paved over when no one’s watching.

From Palace to Prison

The dungeon is connected by an old underground tunnel to what used to be a slave prison, now turned into a Chief’s Palace. Back in the day, enslaved people were secretly moved from that palace through the tunnel and held in the dungeon until the ships arrived at the coast.

The signal would come from the lighthouse when a ship docked. That was the cue. Time to move the bodies.

But before then, they were left here to suffer.

“They starved them. Beat them. Humiliated them. They did everything to crush their spirit before selling them off.”

Some never made it out. They died in the dungeon and were buried nearby. The ones who survived were never the same again.

Why This Story Matters

Here’s what’s wild — this dungeon isn’t in any popular tour. It’s not on the museum maps. Even some locals haven’t heard of it. But it’s very real, and it’s part of our history.

This isn’t just about the past. It’s about how we choose to remember.

Because the truth is, some stories don’t disappear. We just stop telling them.

And if we’re not careful, this dungeon — and the lives it held — will fade away completely.

Want to See It for Yourself?

If you’re in Accra or planning to visit, don’t skip Jamestown. Beyond the murals and boxing culture, beyond the lighthouse and colonial buildings, there’s a hidden story that deserves to be seen and heard.

Let’s make sure this one doesn’t stay buried.