Opening Night: Lights, Camera, Action! Light from the half moon shimmered on old Charlotte Amalia harbor. Gentle trade winds cooled patrons gathered in the yard facing the sea. After announcements were made, the crowd hushed as newly installed electric lamps were switched off. The distinctive click-click-click-click of the 35-mm film feeding through the reel and […]
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My Mother’s Memories of Mary’s Point ~ 1940s
Have you ever been to Francis Bay beach on St. John? 🌴 It’s one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and a part of the Virgin Islands National Park. During the summer of 1927, this beach along with Mary’s Point were purchased by Herman and Emily Creque, my great-grandparents. Later in 1932, the historic […]
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Enjoy their Visit to the British Virgin Islands ~ 1977
Queen Elizabeth II visits the British Virgin Islands By Valerie Sims In 1977, my uncle, Ron Walker, photographed Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip as they arrived on Tortola for a short visit. As a tribute to Her Majesty for her 90th birthday, I made this slideshare presentation of the photographs he took that […]
Bluebeard’s Castle, A Poem by Cyril Creque ~ 1920s
Bluebeard’s Castle By Cyril Creque Round the tower where legends have had their decay– Above me a mild blue, below me the bay, Birth wavelets reflecting the deep of the sky Where white veils of the angels flit brokenly by, Gentle blown by the song shaking breath of the trees__ Fall the copper-red rays of […]
Who was the First Local Band to Play in the Emancipation Garden? ~ 1907
For those who are curious, the first local band to play in the Emancipation Park was the Lionel Robert’s Brass Band. Here is the article that appeared in the St. Thomas Tidende on March 23, 1907. The Lionel Roberts Band “The Lionel Roberts’ Brass Band, composed of some 18 musicians, played in the Emancipation Garden […]
8 Christmas Carols Sung in St. Croix ~ 1912
St. Paul’s Episcopal Anglican Church. Courtesy of the Royal Danish library St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Above is a beautiful photograph of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church located in Frederiksted, St. Croix. It was taken the year of her centenary celebrations, 1912. Christmas Carols During the Christmas holidays one year, a new stained glass window was […]
Thorny Catch-and-Keep: The Country Policeman of our Islands’ Past by Dr. Dante Beretta
[Warning: Some of the content, language, and accompanying documents of this article may be uncomfortable to some. Nonetheless, the author chose to include these items to remain as accurate as possible to the story.] Catch-and Keep and the White Police This past February, we were visiting my old childhood homestead in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin […]
Golfing the Year Round in the Virgin Islands ~ 1951
Do you ever wonder when the sport of golf was popularized in the Virgin Islands? Here’s an interesting article written by Leon A. Mawson in 1951. Golfing the Year Round By Leon A. Mawson “Hi, Golfers! Of the many and varied sports which are being promoted in the Virgin Islands for the recreation and enjoyment of visitors, […]
How the People of Frenchtown Honor their Heritage
Frenchtown Descendants Many of the ancestors of the small colony of French descendants that occupy the outskirts of Charlotte Amalie originated from the island of Saint Barthelemy during the latter half of the nineteenth century. Long ago, these residents made an honest livelihood by plaiting straw hats and bags, selling fruit, such as oranges and pineapples, and […]
How Memorial Day was Honored in the Virgin Islands ~ 1935
How Memorial Day was Honored May 30, 1935 Memorial Day was a solemn holiday recognized as a day of remembrance, similar to All Soul’s Day. It was a day to honor those that had passed on, specifically, fallen soldiers who died while serving in the military. Hundreds of Virgin Islanders joined together to participate in the […]