•""lJ1'"8 on Tiit ~IT~ 
AT R!lr •T ESTAU 
A!lD FORT~ HUJ,. 
ST. JCllM, 'l!IGIN ~SUNOO 
STUOJ'SI~· 
qual1t&ee . 
Ree! Bey F.et.at.e ?"etaine aore- h111ldinp 
thaQ ~rall~ fcund in U. old estate•. Thi Min 
~~ag i• or epeoial .. nt. The factory witb ite 
aacl'.ine17 and t.be tther utild.ty be1ld1.ns:s elearl7 
The rlrt a.t FoJ't~ef'g Hill 1.a a t7i;1c&lr·l8th cMt1u"f 
lortitka\iOG aiait· payed an i.Jlport.an\ p.rt in itrl 
• 
! ••-- ··-- ··-
. Description 
Reef Bay estate is located in a narrOll ~alley on 
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tQI south coast or St. Johno · The estate co:Yera 
most of .·the. valley and ~~s ot the steep hills 
which form it. The ,estate buildings tall in 
three groups: the Esta~ Jil~e group, the "N~ 
Factory" gr_oup, and the "Village." Trails connecst 
the groupe and lead . to Lameehur Pay on the east'g 
the Main Line to the north ·and _Genti Bay to tbe 
west. 
In addition, a trail leads to the Indian 
Falla, on a small b.re>ok within the estate that 
cascades oTer a seriM of rock outcrops on the 
west wall or" the valley., 
General H:tstory 
The present estate canbinea in part or 
~ ·· .. 
completely t~ , two older ~states ·or. 
_Little~. 
··, 
Reef Bay and Perforce sb01Jn in the III Quadrant 
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of · St. John on Po :&. Oxho].s.•s map of 17SOo 
Parf orce aeems to ban been the first aettled 
and is 1nenti~~ in, local court records of . the. 
18th cen t~ry. Lit tie Reef Bay is 
rked On the 
I 
aame map, i but is no mentioned bef re 183:3 in 
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aTailable I record•.' 
The present Es 
te Hou.Se is 
1 I 
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located o*1 land whi h aeems to ha 
been part of 
the Estatf Par!qrct 
twice duzi_ng the ye r 1844. It w s first. ~cquired 
by Ao M. t! o,,..h. f·r. om Ao Eo Ve. tter, !!<I thri. gh ~· 
latter in the •al!le 
ar by L. D .. S 1th. Tillis 
d~t· ~· .,i.laoli 9n t • ga~ pOSt 0 
Estate Holee and is probably the ·"" te bf :!,it.a 
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I 
erection· I During t e middle of t 
.19th ~entury 
both Esta~e;·.Parfo 
{1864) and ittle Re,et 
Bay (1856~ were acqfired by W. H: 
arsh, ;i 
overseer hr the ea tea for the p 
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At th.- t1'e of his ~eath (1909) i 
. estate w•I 
»I 
inheri tedl ·ti~, hi• datghters wh~ so d the pr-operty 
t :- Il'o Fau~ko 
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I 
Aoool'dingj to Mra. E Daniela and 
r sister, 
Mrwo Jens~n, t~re 
re two addit 
l-uild_ingal beai:(,ies t c tbl"&e menti 
2 
of 
The ·Eetate 
llolise Group 
group called "Cow-Cow" beyond the vilJa';::-e to-
wards the !lain Line and some .· etabh.s by tne 
'Vangos." They identified areas t:y their r... ... •-
tionship to specific tree~ and natural lanc:Mlarb 
not observed du~ing my stay at the Bay o 
How~Ter , 
it is possible that Cow-Cow are the ruins of one 
of the two mills shown between Parforce and the 
"Old Worka 11 on the Main Line on Oxho11!' 1 s map" 
The Mangos seem to have been west of the estate 
house in the valley. 
The Estate House group h 
l ocated on a spur or 
the eaet flank of the valley appr:ximately 3/4 
miles in fran the beacho 
A steep trail branches 
off from the main trail to r..a.meshur Bay and 
swinging north and east arr,und the spur approaches 
the Estate House frOfil. the ncrtho The p:r--:up 
consists of the Estate House proper and the 
ruin• of 'the serTant.s quarter11 ll the kitchen~. 
the stable and the outhowie o The Estate House 
is backed up againllt the rising hill nth the ' 
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stables and tihe ,.outllouf!le to the nortneast and 
the ki tcpen and servants quarters to 'the westo 
The servattta qua.rte 
are located fn the same 
level as ihe main h 
e and sligh~ly to the 
nortn.; t4 kitchen n llne with t+ quart.e'rs 
but l01'er~ . A retai ing wall separy..tes the 
Esta~e Ho+,se fran t e kitcheno 
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The selec~ion of si 
ings and their plan 
I 
ror the iraie. 
To the notth there 
it .narrow and fold 
I 
south thejview is 
I . 
e, the placing of t~ 'build-
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show a fine ap reciatijon 
s a view of th 
valle~ u 
into the hill . 
To the 
' 
with Fren~h Man~ Ca 
and St. Croix in the ~aek-
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I 
ground •11fle the In ·an Falls aero~s the valley 
face the *state Ho e. The narrow! back yard 
against t~ natural rock wall of the steeply 
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rising hip is comp imentary to th~ wider views 
on the otter sides 'f the !louse a~. given • 
variety t? the epae al experience rncountered 
This may ~ve been 
lack of fl.a.ti 1.and 
suitable tor build 
However, t~e builder 
4 
1-
Reef Bay Estate House, front 
2- · Reef Bay Estate House, back porch looki ng south. 
3- Ser!Vants Quarters showing masonrt type and cond~tion of'] 
stucco. 
L-
Estate House seen fr 
~oof is 1/4 way down 
I 
the to. pl I or the 
the.' hill +ert or 
I. ndian ~ails 
center.I 
has cap:itali~d on them by using theni . to drama-. 
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tiz.e . t1-e apw-o•ch to the ~9eo They bf Jc_ t.he 
view or .the house from the access t~il 'so t~t
. 
after the gl~es .or the house from the ,l.olr 
!Section or th,e trail y0u do not eee it· api!'I 
until you turn the corl'Er of the seryant.s 
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qua.rte rs and . are immediately in front . or th• 
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' ga~ .. post looJicing up· at stair of t.he t"r.nt 
entr.ance~ 
· 
The .Main House 1e small, but '~bas a. ~~ deal 
of arehiteeturaJ_ quality.; !t is tol"ll!U and 
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·'.i( 
symetr:i.cal, with claesical ren val details 
care.funr balanced' insid~ and ou-tt~ . I-ts plan 
•' t;;l 
.11'-akes full ~dval)tage of t hE> ~8~ te ~d 1 ts end 
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galleri-8, an· 'l'in~al feature, iQ .·a Welt 
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. Indian house; are ~ c°'1ee~i6n to it~ ''All . 
the · struc:t~s of this. group '&re bu,ilt fr(lll ·. 
a · ie?Oal ·-·etort. .-with· briok-uaec:\ in co}iner1nt: 
.· •, 
,ji~.--> ) 
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, archies and trim • . ~hey .are all s~uceoiMi. and_ 
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J•intedo the" ~ii house has 8: flat brick 
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ro'o! <:t'ler its entrance qanop1-s ·And over i ttr 
galleries while the cen~ral section ~s • 
hipped roOt~ ,The other s,tructures, ·as far as 
The "new• 
:factory group ! 
'rhe wall 
factory 
~fters 
fact.ory 
mined, 
eem to have h d saddlft roofs. 
All iroofa 
' 
good conditi n. 
he floors and the wooqwork • 
. 
cistern was 
ot deteil'mined. 
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i 
he hotl8e will be habi~able. 
either pl robing nor. ele trici ty ~ 
The 
I 
in ruins, how ver, tnices of 
i 
.till clear. 
he walls of 
s and the sta le stand to 
located at a prqximaiel.y 200' 
' 
west side o the vatley. 
' 
s of the actory build g, a gr~nding 
11 houses (s e plo\ pl.an). 
I 
sonry structu es exce~t for 
l (see p ot plan) • The masonry Ii• of 
ck.rraments. 
i 
and t:H.m. 
stuccoed.~ The main body of !.the 
. 
a • 
rick roof lai on oeama and 
) • The south ection <!lf the 
had hipped or saddJ• roofs. 
All buildings are ia ruins. 
The wa Us stand to 
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their full he;ght •nd jhave a sound fabrico 
They 
still carry traces of : their finishes. 
There ia 
i 
a great deal of vege~tion on the aite and 
• . 
throughQUt the factor; and the walle are in 
qanger of' destructiont 
All !loora are covered 
by debri• and ~ 
drains and firing tunnels are 
cho/v.ed~ io· ori-~1 ; roof remaiu i wnerei 
exceptiona occur to these general condi tioQ 
they are mentioned under the eection to which 
they pertain. 
P~ L. bxholm's map of 1780 showa 
three buildings on the site or the present 
group of buildings , b~t. no grind:µig pl.a tr ol'll o 
The faotory building i 
The facto~ is a• l~ling one Sto?'7 building 
'With a eca~ex •p.lan • . It ap~n. to have been 
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built in several stages aiid."l.t hae four _. 
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obset"f'able divisiQQa j(see plot "plan). 
Th81 are: 
(lY' the, _ ch:illlney, a b~iling be~eh ,,ad the cistern 
on the north eide :o!' ,the factoryf (2) t.he n;ort.h 
'wing and ~he central portion; -(3) t.he gallery 
to the east and (~) the boiler hous• anq-'stack 
1 
The relat ve age of section one c ld not be 
It has the same stucco type ~s 
section t o and may be contempora 
In 
of 
cistern i 
The T 
P. L. 
the 
and 
at the 
(18Lli) 
the plfoducing 
n is badly de rioratJd. The 
espon9s to 
of a 
of the.T cont.ins the 
I 
The cap 
the T ~leo has 
' 
s ions • Two 
s f o~ storing 
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work ~d finials 
and is pro"' 
The west nd of the cap of the T 
s a new crimped 
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metal roo 
present 
Se6tion 
section t 
1ectiom 
,c:A 
used as a b 
t house by the 
r of t 
est.a:te. 
l 
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is a 
root wide ga ery to ithe east or 
is no masonry on4 betJween 
and the stuc~o or the rormer 
8 
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t--:.10TE· 
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61*1i1dt1"Jt] :,:;~{/,~~ . 
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...... , 
-~·. 
. {f;'.·Y .b,~; •. .,/.;,. 
-. .,..~ .. ~ 
~ 
Ra/ 8ByE$'/ale 
,. ~e.w F ;;clory,., 6f'Otl/l 
Plt::tr ,.P/a12 
s~ 
~:i J..d 
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' ! 
":.-_ .-!. 
<'{ 
·'·;;; 
~{/ 
~,_,o 
un~A:'"':;I 
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continues through the jointure of the two seotions 
which establishes section ihree as an adc!i ti on, 
howrever, it is probabl7 an earlier one to judge 
from the sameness of constNction details. 
Section f OUT, the boiler house, was planned 
around the 111achinery it still houses.. 
An oven 
extends under the north end of this section and 
is connected to the stack., There is sufficient 
machinery left for a layman to follow the general 
lines of syrup production. The machinery is marke<i 
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w. Ao McOnie Gla,cow 18610 · The f cohneetion 'wit~ 
the grinding platform ie still in existence. The 
functions of the latter are obscured by its 
l"uinu.ous oondition and its cover of dense vegeta-
tion. The construction details of ,J~ction four 
are different from the main Rody of the factory. 
Tile window openinga have wood lintels and. the 
roof was hipped. 
The grinding platform 
Ttie grindi.ng platf'ol'll i• a roughly circular plat-
form approximately 80 feet in diameter raised 6 1 
above the surrounding ground level and bounded . 
9 
~Y a re 
and. the 
connecti 
Bouse l 
The cane •1 '.crusl)ed here 
c! ~ped into the bo11l11g. lfea~. The 
The small.jwobden 
built a; t dwelling by the previo 
y&ars ago ~ lt is s ill ro9fed, 
is in poo~ c orid.i ti o • 
plan Jis 
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House 2 
Only two 
roof. 
Mrs. E. 
·there ie . 
and the 
There is 
owner ~bout .40 
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all woodwork 
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till st.anding 
f Rousei 2. It 
I 
'and ueed to have a .eaddle 
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:., 
iels, th daughter o"f 
7 her !Qr storageo 
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., 
" ld house"· by 
I 
Ho Jfar~h, an(l 
aed .abo\.:e 
I 
i 
en, the faetor1 
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I 
ead::.1rom- the 
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sta~ng Dute , oven s?uth 
10 
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5-
Bolling Bench to the'right. 
Note debris and vegetation .. 
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6-
F~ring pit 
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7- Firing pit 
9 - Boiling House, interior So~tlfllwttjtl,. .. 
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., ~" ; ::" .' .. 
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10-
South .•ail ot 'Boiltng :lioti;se, 
l~~torm \ to\ the rh:ht. 
·, 
,/}. 
f·'· 
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The. ·1ty1 llage" 
ah.d. . the old 
!aetory 
.. 
A grouJi ~ rui.q.s is located straight north of 
H 
the Estate House on the trail to the Main Line. 
It consists of two small dwelling houses on the 
road and the remains of a sugar mill in the bush 
approximately ho yards northeast of the road. 
The vil la.ge 
The two dwelling houses are in ruinous condition, 
and partly collap15ed. 
Their principal intereet is 
their construction. 
House 1 (see plan) is a waddle 
construction. 
House 2 is a wood frame on a stene 
base (see sketch), si.inilar to the conetructton 
used in the structure of the fort at Coral Bay. 
The "old"factory 
The_ "old" factory consists of a series of ruins 
of a sugar milL The site is den8ely wooded, 
• 
hOlfever, you can still_ locate the grinding plat-
fOl"ll, the factory building proper and the cistern • 
• The ·latter is standing in its full height. 
'!'he 
·standing walls vary ill from ) 9 to 15'. It would 
be difficult to determine the appearance or the 
structure when standingo It is, however, feasible 
to reconstruct the type of sugar mill and the 
general lines or production. 
11 
HARBOR PT. 
Description 
FORTBERG HILL 
Fortberg Hill is a · conical hill on a small 
peninsula between Coral Harbor and Hurricane 
Bole in Coral Bayo 
The Fort, in early accounts called "Frederiksvaerntt, 
is located on the SUllllllit. 
Foundations of an 
unidentified structure are immediately west of 
·the fort (see · sketch) and a shore battery on a 
prcmotory to the southeasto 
General History 
The fort and the battery were part of a larger 
defense system of Coral Bayo 
The first fort on the present site was finished 
i n 17230 
When it l'dis begun 9 is not knowno It 
is however i shown on the Gevard van Keulen 
map of 1n90 
Its purpose was ~discourage the 
English settlers of Tortola in their claim of 
Ste John and to protect the Danish settl ement 
(1717) 
The old f "rt was a group .?f mode.st buildings 
surrounded by a dry stone and earth wallo 
This 
played an imp0rtant pai:t in the slave uprising 
of 1733. 
12 
I 
It was attndoned aft er the insurre tion and is not 
menti0ned \in the 17~5 agreement of transfer between 
the Danis~ Crown anc~ the Dansk Ves indien Company-. 
. 
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In 1760 a jfort ism ntioned in con ection With 
the grant ~ ng of own rship privileg s to Coral Bay 
settlemento It is 
present ·st ructure 
! 
especiall~ since th fort was 
' 1 
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governmenti at an 
Fortberg H~ll is 
i 
as far bac~ as 
I 
A magazine! was 
i 
date. 
in the 
' 
sume that the 
this pet iod, 
aban oned by the Danish 
record iin Sto Thanae 
\ 
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• . A magazine is also 
mentioned ~n 1760 as being built a 
a battery is shown 
on th.e sitt' of the p esent one 
of 1780. 
Oxholm 's map 
The detensi system o Coral Bay had two add~tional 
armed posi~ions o 
the Gevard van Keulen map of 1719 
I 
. 
Le Duck's ~sland is ortified and a peninsuta which may 
be Turner ~r Moor po· nt is labelled "the n1 fort•, 
This accor~s with th statement by illiam ~arsh of 
i 
Caroli!i.a Es~ate 
I 
point. 
! . 
here is an ol cannon 'at Moor 
13 
Frederiksvaern 
The existing rort is a rectangular enclosure 
with Basti~ns at the corners. A house was 
located in the center of the enclosure ~ An 
arched gateway leads through the west wall 
of the fort o 
There are several openings .. ~n 
. 
. ,$' 
the walls, gun slits, windowrs a etco (s~/ 
sketch) o 
The !our bastions .appea;r\to have 
had gun decks 2-3 feet below top: ifJ:the wall 
with rooms below them o 
Their remains 
r~an t (' 
traced. 
A staircase on the south wa.U lead!5 
to a continous walk alonr, the top or the 
wallo 
The structure in the center o.~ -:~~'~ f?~~i:1i'r.:!,: 
buildt on a platform L' above ground.~ It 
h4d stone walls up to the hei~)lt of the 
window sills. The upper part was either a. 
wattle constructi~n between posts or a wood 
frame construction; probably the formero 
The walls of the fort stand frCJll 9e to lJ' 
above the interior level a :1,; ·.ir ·K 
rr tYr< 1 ;· 
16' to the outside ., 
T:•f'J Eu· .. 
14 
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except 1 in lareas sho non plan. Thr masonrlv is 
• rotigh r~eld stone and brick !ra~entso brick 
is used i~ cornerin and arches. 
11 walls were 
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stuccoed tjut finish s have deterio ated completelyo 
i 
The inter~or walls o the f~rt hav crumbled and 
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the entir~ area is c vered by a•de se vegetationo 
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The fort h~s a comma, ding position and would have 
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a magnific~nt views in all directi ns, except for 
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the vegetafiOno 
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The Magaz~fe_ 
_ . 1 
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TM l!&gazi e (see •kt tch) is buildt !ran Field stoneo 
The walls . re approxfiately 69 heig t and <ifc>p off 
about 10 1 · n the outdideo 
The maga ine commands the 
entrance t 
Coral BaJ and to Hurric ne Hole\ 
Six 
old cannon are stil~ in place part y hurried under 
de.briso 
. 
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13- Forttje~g Hill tram Sande~~ 
Ba;r • . ! M_acgazine •nMl far 
pieomqtory. 
' I 
l~- Magazine dilernibl~ a~ 
i 
the edge ne 
top o~ 
promotory. 
Note po~ition 
in relation o entrajnce 
of Bay. 
' 
, SCOPE OF THIS REPORT 
The '1.nfol'l!ation for this report was gath~red ~n a 
•>f. 
trip to the VU-gin Islands irom November 22 to 
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lfovember 27. 
Four· and a h.$lf days were st')ent on 
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St. John at Reef Bay and Fortt?erg Hill and one day 
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in . Charlotte. Amalie. 
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Lack or time eliminated ~· · thorough study, and it~ . 
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is .·t~Lt ~· consld~ raltle· amoullt"«of material both in 
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records "an~ ·m the field bas been left untouched • 
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FollOlfing records were consulted: 
'." 
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,i; ~ ' Co1lrt records, St .. -Thanas, Virgin Ialands 
,- .
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·:-~ . 
-2. 
P •. t. "Qpio:im - M,.-p -or st. John i1eo (pob.lffao). 
~ 
, 
, 
• 
)11."" 
• 
. 
· J., 
P. · L. Oxholm. - Sucker .Koeller 
:.. ~ 
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4. "c·:· F~_: :Pa~~~&an· -~-.s~&de ~!' de Ve~,tindis~·-
. 
:';. 
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·. ·' · ·Oers Hiatorie . · 
... 
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, 
" ·;' 
-r• "1>:· 
~ 5~' 
.ivard'fan · ~\l~n .;.;:Jiap of . St~
:Th~ 81;\d "or .. 
· 
,". /, . . Harbor. in ·st .. JQ]m -published . 
in Am8t.erdmn 1719 
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6. 
A. Broendsted ··~ Vore &fllle ·Tropelcoloni•r'. 
,. .. ,. 
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7. K.iy Le.raen 
~ · Da~sk Vestinclien 
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·a. · Waldemar Westergaard ..: t~ lla,nish West Indies ·• 
,, 3 Nov.•.54 
i6