A Drive Around St. John

Stop 4 - Annaberg Plantation

Around 1600, the Danish began settling in St. John, which later became part of the Danish West Indies. By the early 1700s, they had established huge sugar cane plantations throughout the island, which were planted and harvested by slaves from Africa. The Annaberg Plantation, on St. John's northern coast, was one of the largest. Today, the plantation's remains are part of the Virgin Islands National Park, which is a park within the U.S. National Park Service. In fact, about three-fourths of St. John is National Park property, which explains why so much of the island remains in its natural state.

Remains of the windmill at Annaberg

Ruins of another one of the buildings at Annaberg

In 1733, the slaves on St. John revolted against the plantation owners and held the island for six months until, with help from the French, the Danish government squashed the rebellion and retook control of the islands. Many slaves and Danes were killed during the revolt, and many of the surviving slaves killed themselves rather be recaptured. It is said that many slaves jumped to their deaths from the cliffs near the Annaberg Plantation into Leinster Bay below. In the following photo, Tortola, British Virgin Islands is in the background.

Many of the rebellious slaved jumped off the cliffs at Leinster Bay near the Annaberg Plantation

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Last Updated: January 1, 2003