ST. CROIX HISTORICAL TOUR DAY 19 We now continue with our focus on the historical edifices of the Danish West Indies - St. Croix: This fortress Fort Christianvaern had many cannons and cannon balls could travel as far as one and a quarter miles to 3 miles out. Many cannons were installed around the fortress to protect the island and reinforcements were placed on Protestant Cay and on the peninsula. Inside the fortress there were dungeons, rooms for ammunition and sleeping quarters for the soldiers and the commoner (the highest ranking soldier). Some of the walls are thirteen feet thick particularly the area that housed the gun powder and other ammunitions. This was done to prevent moisture from getting in the room as gun powder has a very very short shelf life, not to protect it from being hit. After uprisings in the British Virgin Islands that made the Dutch settlers flee, they settled over in St. Croix and St. Thomas. In St. Croix the Dutch built the Dutch Reformed Church in 1744 eight blocks up King Street and corner of Prince Street, but this church right which is the Steeple Building was built in 1753, the steeple was added in 1796 and has now become the historical name for the this church as it is distinctive. With a fast growing -new- colony such as this, this church was used as: a bakery, hospital and school. In 1831 the Danish Lutherans moved to the Dutch Reformed Church location across from government house after they bought it from the Dutch. The Dutch influence on the general architectural style of St. Croix is great. NOTE: SEE YOU TOMORROW!!!
Posted on: Thu, 17 Oct 2013 13:18:09 +0000
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