Vintage Stories from the Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands History and Culture in Photographs
How Tortola Celebrated The August Monday Festival ~ 1929
August Monday Festival August Monday–a holiday set aside in remembrance of Emancipation was celebrated in gala style in the year 1929. The following account was found in the old newspapers and has been reprinted below to help keep the island’s history alive. The Celebration “The committee in charge of the day’s celebration left nothing undone to provide […]
Saint Thomas, A Poem by Edwin W. Pope ~ 1920s
Saint Thomas A beautiful poem By Edwin W. Pope In the center of these, our Antilles Ever fanned by the ocean’s cooling breeze, There rises a green isle from the sea; The Cross in America’s Rosary. 🌊 There do the sirens sing their lay: There do the dolphins sport and play, There is an amphitheater […]
The St. Thomas Census ~ 1901
The St. Thomas Census Here’s an interesting account of the St. Thomas census found in the old newspapers. Visit the shop!
The Loss of the Virgin Gorda Sloop, PERSEVERANCE ~ 1912
The Loss of the Sloop, Perseverance So many boats have been claimed by the sea that it’s impossible to document them all! Here are some I’ve researched and written about that sank tragically: The Syria, Pride of Tortola, RMS Rhone, Kite, the Faith, Come Back, Spider, Fancy Me, the Islander, the Edgewood, the Malakka, and To Windward. There’s even more that […]
How Whit Monday was Celebrated in St. John ~ 1906
Discovering a Clue to this Postcard’s Identity Unbeknownst to me, this postcard image held one important clue to its date and occasion.🔎 I’ve been trying to identify it for a long time until a friend from St. John, spotted the schooner, Viking anchored in the background. With this information, I was able to find the […]
Rare, Historic Video of Tortola Found ~ 1971
Historic Video of Tortola Tortola – historic […]
The New St. Thomas Cricket Team Wins the Match! ~ 1895
Cricket Cricket was one of the most popular sports played in the Danish West Indies! The newspapers were filled with hundreds of matches between visiting teams from neighboring islands, like Tortola as well as foreign teams from far away nations. It seemed as though every Navy ship had a team of its own. This rare image of […]
A Military Funeral for a German Marine ~ 1914
Funeral Procession for German Marine Imagine having a loved one die overseas. It must have been tragic for the family to hear the news. Training Ship, Vineta The newspapers didn’t report the details, but apparently, a young apprentice whose last name was Loth, passed away aboard the training ship, Vineta. The usual ceremony given to naval seamen […]
The Virgin Islands are Really Dead! ~ 1945
A Postcard Home During War Times “Dearest Mom and Dad, Just a card to let you know that I’m still alive and kicking. We’re here in the Virgin Islands for one night and it is really dead! But I guess it is the same everywhere. Hope you all are OK and the town is still […]
The Fate of the “Pride of Tortola” ~ 1966
The Pride of Tortola The Pride of Tortola was a 65-foot island schooner once owned by Rudolph Hodge. She was an important part of the inter-island trade between the British and US Virgin Islands, delivering everything from perishable food supplies to building materials. She certainly had an adventuresome time during her years on the sea. […]