St John, USVI!! Did you know that there are 3 different islands in the US Virgin Islands? St Thomas,The Cruise Destination, St Croix, Home of the Cruzan Rum (that belongs to Absolut Company/ Pernod Ricard) and Capitain Morgan (Diageo), and St John, “The National Park”.
St John, used to be the property of the Rockefeller family. In 1956 Laurence Rockefeller donated the island to the United States under the condition that it becomes a National Park. Today 75% of the Island is a National Park with more than 20 different trails.
The remaining 25% is the Caneel Bay Resort which open on December 1st 1956!! One of the top 25 hotels in the Caribbean in 2015. Excellent Sushi restaurant, by the beach, excellent ceviche and great Sancerre wine…..
It is a one day trip from St Thomas, ferry from downtown, in front of that ugly hotel the Windward Passage (never stay there, you better be at the Beachcomber or the ex- Best Western Carib Beach resort on the Lindbergh Bay, one of the nicest bay in STT, by the airport or at the Marriott Frenchman.
So many Frenchman…..France once claimed many Caribbean islands, including Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Lucia, St. Martin and Haiti. French settlers first came to the Virgin Islands in the 1600s. The French flag flew over St. Croix for many years before the Danish united the Virgin Islands in 1733.
Immigration from the nearby island of St. Barthelemy – commonly called St. Barths – brought an influx of settlers whose descendants remain in the USVI today. Frenchies were mainly cotton farmers, but a failing market forced them to find other means to survive.
On St. Thomas, Frenchies split into two groups. One group went into the North Side hills to be farmers. Because of the steep and rocky terrain, farmland was terraced to keep crops from washing away. These terraces are still in use today.
The second group settled just to the west of Charlotte Amalie in Carenage (now Frenchtown), established in 1835. Land was not suitable for planting, so the men took to the sea in handmade boats to fish, while the women tended chickens and created woven straw hats and brooms for sale. In Frenchtown, the time-honored tradition of open fish markets still thrives. Fishermen set out as early as 4 am with hand-woven nets and fish pots (traps), then sell their catch while it is still morning.
Today, in addition to the original Frenchie community, immigrants from France, Haiti, and other French islands call the Virgin Islands home. It is common to hear French patois (French Creole), a combination of French and English, spoken here.
The French Heritage Museum in Frenchtown, dedicated on July 9, 2004, has given St. Thomas a permanent place to showcase its rich French history. The small stone building, multi color Caribbean painted, sits next to the Joseph Aubain Ballpark. The Museum displays over 400 keepsakes and heirlooms donated by the local community, including a magnificent four-poster bed, fishing nets and tools – and even meat hooks once used by the neighborhood butcher. The Museum is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm. Admission is free.
