Virgin Islands History by Valerie Sims
Virgin Islands History and Culture in Photographs
Message in a Bottle Found on Virgin Gorda Beach! ~ 1833
Imagine walking along the beach and noticing an odd-shaped bottle still sealed and never opened! 🍾 Almost 200 years ago, a young boy discovered such a bottle on a beach in Virgin Gorda. Young James McDonough must have been thrilled by his discovery when he realized the mysterious bottle had its contents intact. The Message Opening the bottle […]
Do You Recognize This Pretty Lady From St. Croix? ~ 1939
Helen C. Taylor Not much is known about Helen C. Taylor, the artist that created this beautiful pastel painting of a young girl in St. Croix. However, in 1935, I learned that Miss Taylor was on the committee with Miss Enid Baa to be a judge for the Peabody Prize Essay Contest, which was sponsored by […]
Who Owned This Popular Corner Store in St. Thomas?
Popular Corner Store I was pleasantly surprised to locate this photograph recently. It provided the location of one of the most popular, corner stores in St. Thomas. The corner store belonged to Ludvig Thraen, a native of St. Croix. Often times, an obituary can tell us so much about a person’s life. When I came […]
A Romantic History of St. Croix Book by Florence Lewisoln
The Romantic History of St. Croix By Florence Lewisoln For those invested in the history of the islands, this is an informative, resource book first published in 1964. Despite the years, there’s lots to learn. Here’s a review published on amazon. A Review “The island has changed remarkably since Columbus discovered it in 1493 and […]
First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt Visits the US Virgin Islands ~ 1934
Today in VI History On this day, March 7, 1934, the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt visited the US Virgin Islands. Learn more about her exciting visit here. Shop VI History below! SaveSave SaveSave SaveSave
Pretty Watercolor Rendering of the Grand Hotel ~ 1963
Pretty Watercolor This pretty watercolor captured the Grand Hotel in the heart of Charlotte Amalie, one of the busiest squares in St. Thomas. Not much is known about the artist other than his name, M. Nield and the date it was painted, 1963. Below is an actual photograph for comparison. If interested, have a look at […]
5 Postcards Offer Interesting Virgin Islands’ History Lessons by Enid M. Baa ~ 1934
Enid M. Baa, Librarian Recently, I’ve been finding the most incredible Virgin Islands memorabilia on eBay! 📨 This set of unique postcards sent to friends in 1934 was hand-written by a distant relative, Miss Enid M. Baa. They are Virgin Islands’ history lessons on a postcard! Miss Baa was the Director of Libraries and […]
St. Croix Government House Declared a National Historic Site ~ 1932
Today in VI History The Government House in Christiansted, St. Croix was declared a Virgin Islands National Historic Site ~ March 4, 1932. Shop VI History!
Rare Billy Bones Beach Bar Menu Up For Sale!
While scrolling through ebay today, I came across an interesting find! It was a dinner menu from a restaurant my husband and I opened in 1997! It brought back a flood of memories. Here is the listing information I found. 🔎 Billy Bones Beach Bar Menu “A find for all others – this is one of the […]
The Beautiful Boston-Built Schooner, GITANA anchors in the Harbor ~ 1899
Schooner, Gitana Have a glimpse at one of the prettiest yachts to visit the Danish West Indies. 🔎 Gitana was a wooden-keeled schooner, designed and built by D. J. Lawlor of Boston in 1882. Her owner, William F. Weld was a Harvard Graduate and Commodore of the Eastern Yacht Club in Massassachussets. Cruising Through the West Indies Gitana sailed […]