Celebrating One Hundred Years

Last week, the 25th of August, marked 100th birthday of the National Parks. I thought to celebrate I'd post some pictures of the Virgin Island National Park. Most of the *park* resides on the island of St. John which was established in 1956 when Laurence Rockefeller bought up about two thirds of the island and donated it to the National Park.

Annaberg, one of many sugar plantations on the island, was under cultivation by 1731. By the 1800 it was one of the largest sugar producers on the island. This picture was take some time after 1933.

(Source)

The windmill was added sometime between 1820-1830. 

Up to that point the horse mill was used to grind the cane. 

You can see a part of it in the above picture to the far left, what looks like a curved wall.

 The factory building where the cane juice was boiled down to make sugar, molasses, and eventually rum. The wall to the right is part of the horse mill.

Boiling vats inside the factory building. Just one of the large iron pots remains in place, in the center of this picture.

 Looking through a window of the factory building at the windmill. 

 Catherineberg. During the slave revolt of 1733, the slaves used Catherineberg as their headquarters.

 It is the only windmill on the island you can walk under. 

Reef Bay. The last operating sugar factory ended production in 1908.

It was one of two factories that used a steam engine for grinding cane.

Above Reef Bay on a gut (a water course that runs after it rains) there is a waterfall with pools. The pools have water in them most of the year. Carved into the rocks above one of the pools are these petrogylphs believed to have been put there by the Taino (Arawak) Indians, the first inhabitants of the St. John. There is evidence people lived on the island as early as 1st century AD. They were gone long before Columbus arrived in 1493.

Maho Bay, which includes left to right, Francis Bay, Lillie Maho in the middle, and Big Maho.

Cinnamon Bay, taken from the sea, and home of the National Park campground. 

The building on the beach is an old Danish warehouse

Trunk Bay, is one of the most photographed beaches in the world. I've posted about it many times. This is the beach my grandparents bought in 1928, and where my grandmother had her first guesthouse. It's where I learned to swim. Now part of the National Park, it's a favorite place for visitors to come. There's even an underwater snorkeling trail that follows part of the shoreline of Trunk Cay. (The island to the far left is Jost Van Dyke, a British island. Dead center is Whistling Cay. Behind it is Thatch Cay. Thatch Cay is also British. The point of land to the right of Whistling Cay is Mary Point, which forms part of Maho Bay.)

Hassel Island, St. Thomas.
In 1671 Denmark successfully colonized St. Thomas and by 1680 the port of Charlotte Amalie was a thriving free trade hub. During the American Revolution, powder, arms, and shot were sent to the Continental Army by way of St. Thomas.

To protect the harbor, Prince Frederik's Battery was built in 1788. It sits right at the entrance to the harbor. During the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark was friends with the "Little General." St. Thomas was such an important port that the British occupied Hassel Island, once between 1801-02 and again between 1806-15. Both times they expanded or build new batteries and forts. During the British occupation, Prince Frederik's Battery, acquired its present name, Fort Willoughby.




The British built the Garrison House which was also used for storing munitions. It's construction is unique, and as far as I know, the only one like it in the world.













It's the only building in the islands that has wooden windows  covered in copper.














Fort Christianvaern, St. Croix. Christiansted, where this fort is, was established in 1735 and became the capital of the Danish Virgin Islands in 1755.

I hope you've enjoyed this brief tour of the Virgin Islands National Park. If you can't visit this one, do take  take the time to visit a park near you. We are blessed to have these lands set aside for us in perpetuity.

Being Thankful

Today I'm thankful for, what else? National Parks.

Here are some Parks and Monuments I've visited (not including the Virgin Islands. :)

Yellowstone

Grand Titons
Grand Canyon
Yosemite
Petrified Forest
Saguaro National Park
Death Valley National Park
Golden Gate National Recreational Area
Muir Woods National Monument
Redwood National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Everglades National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
White Sands National Monument
San Antonio Missions National Historic Park
Lincoln Memorial
National Mall
Jefferson Memorial
Washington Monument

There may be others...

***

What are you thankful for today? Have you been to any parks or monuments? Do tell!

A True Story

Hassel Island

Recently my sister, Erva, went over to Hassel Island with her boyfriend, D. and a ten year old boy, R. What follows is a slightly abbreviated account of a true story.

***

It's been at least 50 years since I set foot on Hassel Island and much has changed. The old buildings, while overgrown, are still visible.

The Creque marine railway (the rectangular cut-away)
is visible to the far right, with the hill Erva and R.
walked up to the left.

I particularly wanted to see the Hassel family graveyard. There is a trail from the area of the old Creque marine railway that wanders along the shore and past the old coaling station. It then goes up the hill to the other side of the ridge to the 1801 British Officer quarters. Just behind that is the family graveyard. (You can read more about the island's fascinating history HERE)

The Creque marine railway.

R. and I were about a third of the way up the hill, at least a hundred yards away from the shore when I saw something unusual on the trail.  At first I thought it was a blossom that had fallen from one of the trees, but I stopped because that didn't quite register.





I bent down to pick it up - it was alive and gasping - a baby porcupine puffer fish.  It was about an inch and a half long.  I put it into R.'s hands and he ran with it down the trail to the shoreline to get it into the water again.

How did it get there?  Probably a bird - a tern, seagull or frigate - scooped it up from the shallow water, then the poor little fish puffed up exposing its spines and the bird dropped it.

When I got to the shore, R. was tending it in the shallow water, but it was not responding well. As fate would have it, right there, was an intact quart sized Tupperware tub that had washed up. I filled it with seawater and we placed the poor little struggling fish in the tub. As soon as we got back to the old railway, we refilled it with fresh seawater. 

By this time, the little fish was fully puffed up with water...the right thing as it had been so dehydrated.  It's little  tail and fins were dry and sticking to his little body, but they were beginning to loosen from the sides of his body.

Eventually the little fish was no longer all puffed up and back to normal size. All his little fins and tail were functioning correctly and he was even spitting water out of his little mouth.

The next step in the adventure was to call some children, who live on a sailboat in the bay, to come see the fish and help us with a ceremony to return him to the sea.

Maho tree flower

We included a fresh Maho tree blossom to go with him and saw him swimming happily away.

Lovely. 

Have you ever rescued a wild animal from certain death?

Hassel Island

What kind of history could a 135 acre island possible have? In this picture it's the little island at right center, in front of the other little island, which is Water Island. Doesn't look like much, does it? In fact, until 1865 it wasn't an island at all, but a peninsula. At that time the Danes cut through and dredged the low lying area called Haulover, which you can see at the far right, that connected it to St. Thomas thus improving water circulation in the harbor proper.

One source claims that in 1607, Captain John Smith, founder of Jamestown, stopped at St. Thomas to collect water, wood and turtles. But I can't confirm that.

In 1671 Denmark successfully colonized St. Thomas and by 1680 the port of Charlotte Amalie was a thriving free trade hub. During the American Revolution, powder, arms and shot were sent to the Continental Army by way of St. Thomas.

To protect the harbor, Prince Frederik's Battery was built in 1788. It sits right at the entrance to the harbor. During the Napoleonic Wars, Denmark was friends with the "Little General." St. Thomas was such an important port that the British occupied Hassel Island, once between 1801-02 and again between 1806-15. Both times they expanded or build new batteries and forts. During the British occupation, Prince Frederik's Battery, acquired its present name, Fort Willoughby.

Ft. Willoughby from the sea.












                                                                 
Ft. Willoughby looking towards the docks.

Iron rings, embedded in the stonework, were used to anchor cannons.

My friend, Margaret, waving. Hi Margaret!

I love the brick and stone work.



















The British built the Garrison House which was also used for storing munitions. It's construction is unique.














It's the only building I know of whose wooden windows are covered in copper.

Margaret and me in front of the Garrison House.









Between 1840-70, The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, selected St. Thomas as its hub of operations and Hassle Island was the main office. Today that would be very like Atlanta being the hub for Delta. Coal was shipped to St. Thomas and steamships plying the waters between Europe, the United States, and South America had a convenient place to stop and refuel. Coal was also distributed to the U. S. from here.

Hassel Island also became a place where ships could be refit, serviced and otherwise overhauled. By 1844 St. Thomas Marine opened. In later years it was sold and became the Creque Marine Slipway. Ships were pulled out of the water using one of the longest steam-rail systems in the world.

A lot of hard work has gone into stabilizing and clearing away the brush from marina buildings.














Between 1915-32 the U. S. Navy used the island as a navel station. They also leased the marina and used it to service minesweepers and barges.

When I was growing up, there was a small hotel on the island called The Royal Mail Inn. It made for a pleasant evening to be ferried across the harbor and dine on the terrace with a view of the twinkling lights of the city reflected on the water. Royal Mail Inn is thought to be the inspiration for Herman Wouk's very funny novel, Don't Stop the Carnival, which he wrote during the time that he lived on St. Thomas.

In 1978 the National Park bought most of the island. Though the building were neglected for many long years, there is now a very concerted effort to preserve the history of this tiny speck of land.

If you are interested in further information or looking at other pictures, check out the St. Thomas Historical Trust.