I’ve looked at this photograph at least a hundred times, hoping to figure out what vessel our family members were visiting! 🔎 It was obvious to me that it was taken in the 1930s, but hundreds of vessels have visited the US Virgin Islands. In the center are our grandmother and her siblings. The Clue 🔎 […]
🇺🇸 St. Thomas
Listening to a Pulitzer Prize Winner, Edna St. Vincent Millay ~ 1935
At the suggestion of her physician and close friends, Edna St. Vincent Millay arrived in St. Thomas for a lengthy, restful holiday during the Christmas season of 1935. Welcoming Edna St. Vincent Millay Bandmaster, Alton A. Adams, a local celebrity himself, was one of the lucky ones to be the first to greet her. Bandmaster […]
Selling Hudson Cars and Coty Cosmetics ~ 1937
The men in my family loved cars! 🚗 My great grandfather started importing Chevrolets in the 1930s and my grandfather followed suit in the 1940s. His specialty was Hudsons and Studebakers. The Hudson Motor Dealership Leon A. Mawson opened his first showroom on Main Street at 11 Dronningens Gade on August 18, 1946. He had been selling Hudson […]
The Car Accident ~ 1931
Have you ever dug through a box of old family albums and come across an interesting photograph that seemed to have a story to tell? 📷 A few months after finding this photograph, I stumbled upon a newspaper clipping about this very same car! 🚕 Apparently, it was involved in a collision with a telephone post! In the 1920s, […]
A Family Favorite: Frenchtown’s Normandie Bar ~ 1940s
(L to R) Rene de Lagarde, Tony Daniels and Dennis de Lagarde. “Standing next to our stand-by, Normandie”. When the Normandie Bar opened for business in 1937, many of my family members considered it their favorite watering hole! My Uncles Frank, Richard, Ron and even my father were frequent visitors to this establishment, much to the disillusionment of my […]
A Special Gift for the First Lady, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt ~ 1934
Governor Paul M. Pearson with Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt and traveling companion, Lorena Hickok. Standing on the steps of Government House, St. Thomas, after visiting the public schools. The First Lady of the United States was joyously received by enthusiastic crowds when she landed at Kings’ Wharf in St. Thomas for a short stay. The Community […]
Local Artists Thrilled as 30 Pianos Arrive on the SS DOMINICA ~ 1934
Within weeks of discovering this old photograph of the SS Dominica in our family’s collection, I came across an interesting article in the newspapers about this very ship! During Governor Pearson’s term (1931-1935), he promoted the love of music and the arts by inviting various groups of singers, and lecturers to the island. Invited Performers In 1932, the Hampton Quartet and Elsie Baker performed. A few […]
A Moment with a Movie Star: DANA ANDREWS ~ 1951
Have you ever met a movie star? It’s an exciting experience, especially for a starry-eyed student growing up on a small island. While chatting with my mother about her childhood memories, she shared this encounter with the famous movie star, Dana Andrews. He arrived in St. Thomas to film an underwater movie with co-stars Richard […]