Lithograph print of the Cruz Bay Battery by Fritz Melbye, circa 1850

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Explore the history and cultural heritage of the island of St. John in the U. S. Virgin Islands.

Lithograph print of the Cruz Bay Battery by Fritz Melbye, circa 1850.

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  • Events

    Image of Picnicking on the beach at East End, circa 1909
    • Meeting: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 7 PM- Bethany Morvavian Church Hall. “The Awakening of an American Paradise; Three Decades That Transformed St. John” with David Knight.
    • Activity: Saturday, February 20, 2010 9:30 AM- Dinghy dock in Coral Bay (behind Skinny Legs). Sail Silver Cloud.

    St. John Historical Society will hold its meeting on Tuesday, February 9th at 7 PM at the Bethany Moravian Church Hall. After a short business meeting, historian David Knight will provide a photographic journey through time with his presentation of “The Awakening of an American Paradise; Three Decades That Transformed St. John.” This entertaining and thought provoking presentation will feature seldom seen photographs of St. John taken by David’s parents, Anna and George Knight, between the years 1936 and 1966, as well as commentary by a distinguished panel of eyewitnesses to this pivotal period in St. John history. Also that evening, Eleanor Gibney will present selected images from our new book, “St. John- Life in Five Quarters. ” Members and guests are invited to join in the conversation and are encouraged to bring along any photos, postcards, or illustrations they might have from this period, so that they can be digitally copied for preservation in the SJHS archive. All images with be handled with the utmost care and promptly returned to their owners. Hope to see you there!

    The St. John Historical Society will host a benefit aboard the historic 110’ steel schooner Silver Cloud on Saturday, February 20th. Tickets are $90 per person, which includes a catered picnic lunch and complimentary soft drinks and water all day. Meet at the dinghy dock in Coral Bay, behind Skinny’s at 9:30 AM. Tickets are available at Connections in Cruz Bay and Coral Bay.

    ‘Silver Cloud’ was originally built in 1899 as a steam driven “Great Lakes Pilot Ship” in Ontario, Canada. It was converted to a three-masted schooner by Captain Elliot Hooper after Hurricane Hugo. She will take us to explore the Coral Bay waters—about 5 hours, depending on the wind.

    While onboard, David Knight will provide a presentation on notable landmarks and the cays & bays of East End and Coral Bay Quarter, Eleanor Gibney & Les Anderson will lead a discussion on the East End boatbuilding community of the early 1900s and Captain Hooper will provide some insights into Silver Cloud’s own rich history. There will also be an opportunity for a snorkel on the reefs of Round Bay (bring your own gear.)

    Lunch is being catered by Chef Jim McManus of Shipwreck Landing Restaurant and wine & beer will be available for purchase. And, there will be an opportunity to pre-purchase copies of “St. John, Life in Five Quarters”, the Society’s historical book of St. John. Make your reservations early because space is very limited for this exiting adventure!

  • Articles

    US acquisition of Virgin Islands, 1917

    Read selections from archived SJHS Newsletter articles and supplemental articles about the history and culture of St. John. Recent additions include:

    • A glimpse of Christmas Past was available to the public on Saturday December 12th, 2009 in the Lutheran Church yard in Cruz Bay
    • Ladies’ Storytelling at Bethany Church Hall, Novemember 10, 2009 , an event moderated by Andromedia Childs, recorded by William Stelzer, and written by Robin Swank.
    • Tektite I’s 40th Anniversary Fete, presented by Bruce Schoonover and summarized by Robin Swank.
    • African Roots Project Reprise—St. John Emigration to St. Croix, presented by George Tyson and summarized by Robin Swank.
    • Danish Artist Hugo Larsen‘s Cultural Portrait of Our Islands 1904-1907 , presented by Edgar Lake and summarized by Robin Swank.

  • Photo Collections

    Photo of Christ of the Carribean, Peace Hillf

    Explore our growing collection of photographs. Recent additions include:

    Historic Buildings (LOC-HABS/HAER)

    An extensive series of photographs and architectural drawings of historic buildings on St John. These works were drawn from the Libary of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey Collection.

    Family Album of Anna Dohm Nose

    It was front page news on December 21, 1937, the local Daily News in fact, when Peter and Elsa Dohm and family arrived in their 10 meter yawl, Restmore, after a five year voyage. When the voyage began, Anna was four months old. Thus begins a family album covering the activities of this adventurous and entrepreneurial family. Luckily for us, this family believed in cameras and keepsakes, for Anna’s family album chronicles, with a small hiatus for the war years, the development of Cruz Bay and Red Hook from the 1930’s to the 1970’s.

    St Thomas Scenes

    This collection includes old photographs of St Thomas.

  • Maps

    Image of Oxholm 1800 map

    Step back in time and explore our map of historical sites on St. Jan, Danish West Indies in the year 1800, or view current topological and satellite maps of St. John, US Virgin Islands.

  • Connections

    View of American Hill Estate from Maho Bay

    History is all about connections! Explore the connections between our images, documents, articles, and map-locations through the keyword index.

  • Presentations

    Cruz Bay Battery from a sketch by Fritz Melbye, Circa 1850

    View our slide-show presentation, "Enduring Eloquence", a brief background of historical images of St. John, by former SJHS President David Knight.

  • Documents

    1722 list of first plantation owners on St. John

    View copies of primary documents relating to the rich historical legacy of St. John. Selected documents include a list of early settlers dating to 1722, plans for the Cruz Bay Battery drawn in 1780, a census for Lovango Cay from 1846, and many more...