Christiansted National Historic Site!

What Is Christiansted National Historic Site?

It’s a small park made up of the remains of Denmark’s original colony of Christiansted!

What Makes It Historical?

By the time Denmark started colonizing North America, the pickings were pretty slim, so they started with the sparsely populated islands of St. Thomas (1671) and St. John (1717), then bought St. Croix from France in 1733. Their goal was a big bite of the sugar trade! On the north side of St. Croix, they built over a settlement that had been created by the Dutch and expanded by the English and French, and named it Christiansted after King Christian VI of Denmark-Norway!

In order to defend their new harbor, the Danish settlers laid out three forts in a triangle: Fort Sophia Frederika, Fort Louise Augusta, and the only surviving fort, Fort Christiansvaern! All of these buildings were constructed by enslaved African folks, some of whom were called Royals because they were owned by the Danish King. At Christiansted’s height in 1807, there were 81 Royals in town, who wouldn’t be emancipated until 1848!

Apart from the fort, this historic site is made up of the Danish West India & Guinea Company Warehouse (1749), the Steeple Building (1753), Danish Custom House (1844), and the Scale House (1856). The Steeple Building was the island’s first Lutheran Church, originally the Church of Lord God of Zebaoth, but in 1831, the ailing church was deconsecrated and served as a bakery, storehouse, hospital, and school! There is also a bust near the Custom House of David Hamilton Jackson, a social justice leader, who led successful protests for workers’ rights, labor rights, and free speech from 1915 to 1917!

How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?

Pay the entrance fee to help maintain trails, signs, structures, and other visitor services!
Volunteer at Christiansted National Historic Site!
Donate to the Christiansted National Historic Site!
Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!