Catherineberg Sugar Mill Ruins
Encyclopedia
Catherineberg Sugar Mill Ruins is an historic site located in the Virgin Islands National Park
, east of Cruz Bay
on Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
. The ruins are an example of an 18th century sugar
and rum
factory
.
A sugar plantation from the 18th to the 19th centuries, the farm eventually became land for grazing cattle.
In 1733 one of the first significant slave rebellions in the New World took place on Saint John when African slaves took over the island for six months. During the slave revolt, the farm was the headquarters of the Amina
warriors.
Today the sugar mill ruins are located in a protected area in the Virgin Islands National Park. The property was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on March 30, 1978.
Catherineberg Sugar Mill Ruins are an example of an 18th century sugar and rum factory.
Virgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park is a United States National Park covering approximately 60% of the island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, plus a few isolated sites on the neighboring island of St. Thomas...
, east of Cruz Bay
Cruz Bay, United States Virgin Islands
Cruz Bay is the main town on the island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands. According to the 2000 Census, Cruz Bay has a population of 2,743 people....
on Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint John is an island in the Caribbean Sea and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. St...
. The ruins are an example of an 18th century sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
and rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
.
History
In 1733 one of the first significant slave rebellions in the New World took place on Saint John when African slaves took over the island for six months. During the slave revolt, the farm was the headquarters of the Amina
Amina
Amina Sukhera was a Hausa Muslim Warrior Queen of Zazzau , in what is now north central Nigeria. She is the subject of many legends, but is widely believed by historians to have been a real ruler, though contemporary evidence about her is limited...
warriors.
Today the sugar mill ruins are located in a protected area in the Virgin Islands National Park. The property was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on March 30, 1978.
Architecture