Explore the Historical Sites of the Virgin Islands by Yacht
Posted byNicholson Yacht Charters Administrator
Interested in Caribbean history? Come and explore the historical sites of the British and United States Virgin Islands aboard a Nicholson charter yacht. Visit old fortifications, sugar mills, great houses, a copper mine, and dive a shipwreck, whilst sailing to six beautiful tropical islands aboard any of our luxury yachts with exclusive accommodations and crew, serving exquisite cuisine.
Fort Christian in Charlotte Amalia, St. Thomas is the oldest standing structure in the Virgin Islands. Dating from 1672, it has stood over Charlotte Amalia for over 300 years. Charlotte Amalia is named after the Danish King’s wife. In 1671 the Danish West India Company received its charter from King Christian V to occupy and take possession of St. Thomas for the purpose of cultivating plantations. It quickly became popular as a drinking town and pirate’s den. Danish planters seized St. John in 1717, and in 1733 they purchased St. Croix from France. The English seized the Danish islands in 1807. St. Thomas was made a free port in 1815, and in the years following it became a shipping center and distributing point for the West Indies. Of the 14,000 inhabitants, many of them were free now. With the increase of steamships in the 1840’s St. Thomas became a coaling station for ships running between South and North America, continuing through 1935. Several major natural disasters left Charlotte Amalie wanting for major re-building in the early 1900s. Years passed before the old warehouses that once stored goods for trade would be rebuilt to house the fancy boutiques and stores that line the streets today. Negotiations between the United States and Denmark struck a deal on March 31st,1917, and the American flag was hoisted on “three Virgin Islands:” St. John, St. Croix and St. Thomas.
The Dutch West India Company owned the present day British Virgin Islands during the 17th Century, but its interest in privateering mirrored its lack of commercial success, and after coming under attack by the Spanish of Puerto Rico and then the British, the Dutch West India Company sold Tortola and Virgin Gorda to the British in the 1650s. Old Government House Museum on Joe’s Hill in Road Town, Tortola was built in 1926 as a place of residence for the series of British governors and various members of the Royal Family until 1996, when it became a museum. Incredibly, however, the site has been lived on by British governors since 1834, when Emancipation began. Old Government House is a beautifully restored Plantation house with five bedrooms and two reception rooms, one of which is an elegant dining room, whose table is laid with crown embossed china. Today, the house provides a focus of interest for people interested in Virgin Islands history and culture and is used by His Excellency the Governor to host receptions. It is open to the public by appointment only.
Anja from the Irwin 68 ketch ELEKTRA caught one of her charter guests discovering a submerged canon.
A gentle hike leads to a ruined great house on Norman Island. The eighteenth-century great house on Norman Island has beautifully carved coral steps and a series of old walls which indicate a substantial residence during the plantation period, the early 1700s….
Annaberg Plantation, as of 1780, was one of 25 active sugar producing factories on St. John. Other products produced at Annaberg were molasses and rum. Slave labor was used to clear densely forested hillsides and to terrace the slopes around Annaberg to make farming possible. Slave labor was also used to plant, harvest and process the sugarcane. A trail leads through factory ruins, slave quarters, windmill and other remains. Placards and signs along the trails describe how sugar was produced and discusses plantation life and the history behind sugar plantations on St. John and in particular Annaberg.
Sugar cane was crushed in the mill area, squeezing out the sweet juice, which was then boiled until it crystalized and made sugar.
James Michener’s Caribbean (1997) depicts the history of the Caribbean region from the time of the native Arawak tribes until about 1990. Chapter 7, The Sugar Interest, is a fictional story that revolves around the island St.John and the Caribbean sugar monopoly.
After the island came under British control, the Copper Mine on Virgin Gorda was constructed in 1837. Over the next 24 years, 36 Cornish miners extracted ore from this site with 140 British Virgin Islanders. The ore was sent by road to Spanish Town, the largest settlement on Virgin Gorda, along Coppermine Road, then by ship to Wales. Returning ships would bring provisions, wood for construction, wages for the workers and coal to power their steam engine. The mine was abandoned in 1862 and was never reopened. Parts of the original stack, the engine house, and the main building are all that remain.
RMS Rhonewas a Royal Mail Ship that carried cargo and passengers between England, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. She was powered by both sail and steam. Built in 1865 in London, she was 310 feet long, had a 40-foot beam and two masts. Her propeller was the second bronze propeller ever built. Her maiden voyage was in August 1865 to Brazil, which was the destination of her next five voyages. There she proved her worth by weathering several severe storms. RMSP then switched her to the West Indies route. The Rhone was a favorite among passengers due to her fast speed of 14 knots, and her lavish cabins. She had 253 first class, 30 second class and 30 third class cabins. She was wrecked off the coast of Salt Island in the British Virgin Islands on 29 October 1867 in a hurricane with the loss of about 123 lives. It is now a leading Caribbean dive wreck site.
The Callwood Rum Distillery in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola features the original structure of a Sugar Cane distillery. Visitors to this rustic site can purchase samples of rum. The original boiler still operates and produces rum, which in then stored in original storage casks. The old guard house is also intact and has been turned into an art gallery and gift shop.
Sugar was produced at the 1780 Lower Estates Sugar Works Museum in Road Town, Tortola until the 1940s. During the 19th century its Timber frame became what is believed to have been the first Virgin Islands Guest House. The Government of Tortola acquired it in 1900 and turned it into a Cotton Factory. Lime juice was also produced here: 252 barrels in 1908 and 800 barrels in 1912. Today it houses a Museum; be sure to stop by and check out examples of how life used to be. Opening Hours are: Monday – Friday from 9am – 4pm
As early as the 18th century local entrepreneurs using sailing vessels began to trade throughout the Caribbean. Out of this activity evolved a type of trading sloop known as the “Tortola Boat” which is unique in design and around which grew the culture and economy of the BVI. Located on the second floor of the Centre of Applied Marine Studies at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College in Paraquita Bay, Tortola is found the Virgin Islands Maritime Museum. The Museum is dedicated to preserving the Maritime Heritage of the Virgin Islands through displays, photographs and educational outreach programs. Opening hours are: Monday – Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
This is Beef Island, Tortola in 1951. It is where the airport is today. It used to be a provision ground for a variety of staple crops for the local population of Tortola living on the East End. It was also in this area that the legendary Mrs. Brodie lived whose tomb was destroyed during the construction of the airstrip. In the distance can be seen a British warship at anchor with the sister islands on the horizon behind.
After the collapse of the sugar economy in the early nineteenth century,Mount Healthy Windmill, located in Brewer’s Bay on the north side of Tortola, fell into disuse and became a ruin. It crushed cane for the sugar mill and rum distillery in nearby Brewer’s Bay.
A traditional West Indian house on Main Street, Tortola
We’d like to thank the 105′ trimaran CUAN LAW for use of her Virgin Island History Tour itinerary in putting this flyer together. CUAN LAW accommodates up to 18 guests for pre-scheduled dive and history tours from Tortola.
