Page 1038 - Visitor Guides

VISIT THE HISTORIC TOWNS, OLD PLANTATIONS,
FORTS, CHURCHES AND SUGAR MILLS THAT
MAKE UP THE RICH HISTORY OF THE USVI
OUR FORTS WERE BUILT TO FEND
OFF PIRATES. YOU, HOWEVER, ARE
ENCOURAGED TO VISIT.
Our islands have many forts, built to protect
our precious shores from the onslaught of
pirates. They also served as courthouses,
prisons, and as places for religious services.
Visit Fort Christiansvaern or Fort Frederik on St.
Croix, Fort Christian on St. Thomas, Fortsberg
in St. John or Water Island’s Fort Segarra.
THEY AREN’T JUST BUILDINGS.
THEY’RE ICONIC LANDMARKS IN
COLONIAL HISTORY.
Constructed in 1867 as the meeting place
for the Danish Colonial Council, St. Thomas
Government House serves today as the
Governor’s Office. On St. Croix, Government
House illustrates the grandeur of Danish
buildings from the period in the West Indies
when sugar was king. This building is one of
the largest governor’s residences in the Lesser
Antilles, and visitors are welcome.
ST. CROIx
Whim Plantation Museum — With its original
early 18th Century plantation buildings
covering 12 acres of land, it is the oldest sugar
plantation museum in the Virgin Islands. The
fully restored windmill and sugar factory ruins
are open for you to explore. You can see
sugar cane growing nearby in one of the
plantation gardens.
Buddhoe Park — On July 3, 1848, “General
Buddhoe” Gottleib rallied more than 6,000
armed slaves at this park to demand freedom.
As a result, Governor Peter von Scholten
proclaimed the emancipation of the slaves on
this day. Located next to Fort Frederik Museum
in Frederiksted, the park contains a bronze bust
of the renowned slave rebellion leader.
6 7
Lord God of Saboath Lutheran Church —
Built in the 1740s, this Lutheran Church is
St. Croix’s oldest extant church. Originally the
Dutch Reformed Church, it was transferred to
the Lutheran Congregation in 1831, which is
now the Steeple Building. The most distinctive
feature is the neoclassical tower, built in 1834
and designed by Albert Lovmand, the official
Architect of the Danish Colonies at the time.
Holy Cross Catholic Church — Originally built
in 1755, Holy Cross was extensively altered in
the 1850s. It was built in the shape of a cross
to represent St. Croix, which means “holy
cross” in French. It is located on Queen Street
in Christiansted.
ST. JOHN
Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins — Is one of several
of St. John’s plantations owned in the 1720s
and 1730s by Frederick Moth, the first Danish
Governor of St. Croix and, later, the Governor
General of the Danish West Indies. By the
early 19th century, Annaberg, one of St. John’s
biggest sugar producers, also produced
molasses and rum for export.
The Emmaus Moravian Church — Located
in Coral Bay, the church is on the List of
Registered Historic Places in the United States
Virgin Islands and holds an interesting place
in St. John’s history. It was the only church
allowed to minister to the slaves and was
instrumental in establishing Dutch Creole as
the language spoken between planters and
the enslaved Africans. The Church stands next
to the Caroline Estate plantation, the site of
a 1733 slave revolt that resulted in the murder
of the plantation owner and his 12-year-old
daughter. This church is said to be haunted.
ST. THOMAS
Camille Pissarro Building — The father of
French Impressionism, Camille Pissarro was
born and raised in Charlotte Amalie. His
childhood home is now an art gallery featuring
artwork from dozens of artists, including
Camille Pissarro himself.
Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim
Synagogue — Built in 1796 by Sephardic Jews,
the St. Thomas Synagogue is one of the oldest
synagogues in the Western Hemisphere. People
of all faiths are welcome to visit the sand-floored
interior of this National Historic Landmark.
St. Thomas Reformed Church — The church
was established around 1660, and is one of
the oldest congregations in the Virgin Islands.
Organized by Dutch traders as the St. Thomas
Protestant Reformed Dutch Church, the first
church was built in the mid-1670s on the
savannah east of the Fort in the area known
as Barracks Yard. In the 1740s a new church
was built on Snegle Gade, which burned in
1804. A new church was immediately erected,
but was again destroyed by fire in 1806. The
cornerstone of the present church was laid
September 18, 1844, and completed and
consecrated on February 8, 1848.
Frederick Lutheran Church — Built in 1820 in a
combination of neo-classical and gothic revival
architecture, this historic church retains much
of its original character. Gracious steps and
an arched doorway greet visitors. The church
has an elaborate bell tower, lovely stained
glass windows and other historical features
that date back to the days when Denmark
owned the Virgin Islands. Since the Lutheran
Church was then the Danish state church, the
governor often filled in for the minister. Home
to the oldest Lutheran congregation in the
Virgin Islands, this revivalist style structure was
completed in 1844.
New Herrnhut Moravian Church — Missionary
Frederick Martin established this house of
worship in St. Thomas in 1737 after purchasing
a plantation on the east end of St. Thomas.
The plantation was named “New Herrnhut” in
honor of the Mother Church in Germany. It is
the Virgin Islands’ first Moravian Church.