What Is Jossie Gut Historic District?
This district is made up of Hans Henrik Berg’s sugar factory, horse mill, dam and oxpound!
What Makes It Historical?
As early as 1800, this land along Jossie Gut (a gut is like a creek) was being cultivated for sugar, and by 1820, it came under the ownership of Hans Henrik Berg! As police master and town judge, Mr. Berg was responsible for keeping the peace on St. Thomas as news flowed in of a slave revolt on Martinique and coal workers in Charlotte-Amalie promised to side with the slaves if they revolted in the Virgin Islands! Mr. Berg managed to do it, though, getting sanctioned for letting freed Black man, Mathieu Daniel, off with a warning for making threatening statements against white folks! He did set up a posse of 50 vigilantes, though, to patrol the island, but by July 5, 1848, the Danish emancipation proclamation had been published across the West Indies! Mr. Berg would go on to serve as governor from 1853 until he died in 1862.
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer at Virgin Islands National Park!
- Donate to Virgin Islands National Park!
- 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!
How Do I Get There?
1/2 mile south of Centerline Road on the Reef Bay Trail!
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Whenever the mood strikes you!
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