Within this section you will find over 100 articles which have appeared in publications of the Society, have been the subject of our hikes and wanderings and/or are simply of interest to anyone with a love of St. John and its rich history.
If you’d like to submit an article for consideration in a future newsletter or quarterly journal, please be aware of the following guidelines.
- Word count should be between 500-1,000 words. Articles longer than 1,000 words are accepted on a case-by-case basis, so please contact us in advance for pre-approval;
- Please single space after periods;
- Article should be concise, on topic, and most importantly, relate to V.I. or Danish West Indies history; and
- The article’s relevancy to St. John should be clear.
Please send articles to the attention of newsletter editor Andrea Milam at: ContactUs@StJohnHistoricalSociety.org.
07
Apr 2006St. John’s Indigo Years
(This article first appeared in the summer/fall 2004 edition of the Kapok Chronicles, the official [bi-yearly] newspaper of Virgin Islands National Park. Don Near, editor of the publication, is an Interpretive Ranger and has been with the Park for 21 years. We thank Don for allowing us to reprint his informative article.) The word indigo may conjure up a state of mind as in Duke…
06
Apr 2006The Gibney Family
Eleanor Gibney’s maternal grandmother, Mildred Flagg of Boston, filmed home movies of her daughter and grandchildren on St. John on several visits to the island between 1947 and 1960. Robert and Nancy Gibney came to the West Indies from New York City in 1946. They were on their honeymoon, and planned to spend a few months in the islands. Nancy had quit her job as…
05
Apr 2006The Boulon Family
(A presentation by Rafe Boulon, summarized by Vicki Bell) Rafe Boulon began his family story in the early 1900s when his great grandfather was a meteorologist in Puerto Rico. Rafe’s grandfather grew up in Puerto Rico and in 1927 purchased 100 acres for $5,000 which included Trunk Bay. Rafe’s father was born in Puerto Rico but grew up on St. John. His mother was born in…
07
Mar 2006Establishment of the Virgin Islands National Park (VINP)
(A summary of the February 14th, 2006 presentation by Bruce Schoonover) This year being the 50th Anniversary of the VINP, it is a fitting time to recognize our nation’s 29th National Park. Congress passed the enabling legislation for the establishment of the VINP on August 2, 1956, and it was signed into law by President Eisenhower. Primarily, it provided that a minimum of 5,000 acres…
07
Feb 2006The Annaberg School Ruins at Mary’s Creek
The ruins of the Annaberg School at Mary’s Creek are among the most significant historic sites on St. John. Not only are they a wonderful example of uniquely Danish-colonial architecture in the neoclassical style, but they are also a physical representation of the first effort to institute compulsory education throughout the Danish West Indies in 1839. Consequently, that makes the remains of the Territories schools…
07
Feb 2006Quicklime – An Essential Material of the Colonial Period
(Editor’s Note: On March 25th, Society President, David Knight and Mr. Reggie Callwood will help us explore the ruins at Cinnamon Bay and review restoration work and techniques used by Mr. Callwood in the 1960s and 70s to stabilize and preserve historic sites throughout the National Park on St. John. As background, David has excerpted and expanded upon some passages from his book, Into The…
07
Dec 2005Mr. Elroy Sprauve Describes His Early Christmas Holidays on St. John
(Compiled by Jan Frey) Mr. Sprauve was a young St. Johnian attending school at the Bethany School in Pastory in the 1940’s and Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas in the early 1950’s. The entire villages’ holiday celebrations centered around church and school. There were two teachers for the approximately 50 students attending Bethany School. Mrs. Maud Samuel taught first through fourth grades, and…
07
Dec 2005Caneel Bay Estate Before Laurance Rockefeller
(Editors Note: Last Fall, while at the Rockefeller Archive Center in Sleepy Hollow, New York, my wife and I ran across the following April 5, 1956 memo from Mr. Hjalmar Bang, regarding his early association with the Caneel Bay Estate.) (Published by permission of Rockefeller Archive Center. Ads are from a VI Tourism magazine produced by the government.) “In connection with my contact with the…
08
Nov 2005T’was The Night Before Christmas… (and Other Bedtime Stories)
We all know these wonderful words: “ ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse…” They were read to us as children, re-read as young parents; and now, we recite them almost from memory to our grandchildren. But, do you know where your grandmother was born? In my family, the stories told at dinner,…
08
Oct 2005Bay Rum: A Niche of Distinction in VI History
Bay rum is tightly woven into the fabric of Native Virgin Islands culture. In the olden days, every single pantry in the Virgin Islands contained a bottle of bay rum. It is the one historic industry that St. John and St. Thomas can claim as being our very own. In Virgin Islands history, St. Croix, due to its achievements in agriculture, became known as the…
08
Sep 2005Soldier Crab Saga
(Editors note: Rafe is Chief, Division of Resource Management for the Virgin Islands National Park and one of our newest Board members.) I was born and live on St. John, USVI and have been living with Soldier (land hermit) crabs all my life. (Shown at left, without shell.) They are part of my every day life – in my pond getting a drink, around my…
08
Apr 2005Childhood Summers Spent on St. John
(A Presentation by Gaylord Sprauve, summarized by Jan Frey) March 31, 2005, marks the 88th anniversary of the acquisition of the Danish West Indies by the United States of America. It also marks the 140th anniversary of when this acquisition was first contemplated… It was in 1865, some fifty-plus years prior, the United States began discussions regarding this purchase. Gaylord Sprauve of St. Thomas was…