Grand Bassa County

Grand Bassa is one of Liberia's 15 counties. Buchanan is the county's capital. Among the county's notable residents were Joseph James Cheeseman and Anthony Gardiner, presidents of Liberia during the 19th century. Bob Grey, a Bassa chief, sold his land to the settlers for smoked fish.

The port of Buchanan was constructed by LAMCO to serve the export of iron ore carried through the railway from Nimba. The civil war destroyed the port, railway and the township built by LAMCO. In 2005, LAMCO's facilities were taken over by Arcelor-Mittal (AM), which has begun a gradual reconstruction. The once bustling port is now a ghost town, the only ray of hope being the arrival of Arcelor-Mittal and the the consequent prospects of employment. Under terms of a 2005 agreement with the national government, AM will give $1 million each year to the county for iron ore exploitation, [cite web|url=http://paguntaka.org/2007/05/01/liberia-mittal-steel-cruises-through-finally/|title=Liberia: Mittal Steel Cruises Through Finally|work=The Analyst|accessdate=2008-09-15] though these terms were revised in 2007. [cite web|url=http://paguntaka.org/2006/12/12/better-iron-ore-deal-for-liberia/|title=Better iron ore deal for Liberia|publisher=Mining Exploration News|accessdate=2008-09-15]

Districts of Grand Bassa County include:
*District #1
*District #2
*District #3
*District #4
*Owensgrove District
*St. John River District

References