Jacob’s Ladder

The story behind the place

Jacob’s Ladder preserves the steps beside an old inclined railway. St Helena Government describes a horse-powered system that hauled goods up the hill using rails and pulleys. The Ladder Hill Railway worked from 1829 to 1871, carrying material out of Jamestown for inland farms. When the railway was dismantled, the steps remained. Their steep line and paired handrails show how people found a route through a difficult volcanic landscape.

Find Jacob’s Ladder on the map, record the discovery in your travel journal and continue exploring nearby places.