What to See in US Virgin Islands - Top Sights and Attractions

Museum in Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands. Fort Frederik, also known as Frederiksfort, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark in Frederiksted, United States Virgin Islands. It was built between 1752 and 1760 by Denmark-Norway to defend the economic interests of the natural deep water port of Frederiksted and to ward off pirates. It has red and white painted walls, making it quite different then yellow and white of Fort Christiansværn on the other side of the island. It is located at the north end of Frederiksted, in St. Croix, south of the junction of Mahogany Road and VI 631. It should not be confused with Frederiks Fort, Fortberg Hill, on St. John, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to Westergaard, "It was soon found that a customs house was not sufficient, but that cannon must be provided, and placed as to command the roads where the ships lay anchored. In lack of such a 'water battery', ships were accustomed to slip away in the night-time without securing papers of paying their dues."

In 1776, the first salute from foreign soil to the new nation of the United States of America was fired from the fort. The salute of Old Glory which had been raised on an American brigantine at port in Frederiksted was a violation of the laws of Denmark-Norway's neutrality however the islands had helped the British colonist in America sealing a friendliness between the two colonies, and the salute was therefore appropriate.

It is from this fort that Danish Governor-General Peter von Scholten emancipated the slaves on 3 July 1848. John Gottliff (also known as Moses Gotlieb, General Bordeaux, or Buddhoe) had led 8,000 blacks in a freedom march to Frederiksted. At the time, there were 17,000 slaves and 5,000 free blacks on St. Croix.

The fort includes a museum and art gallery, it is open weekdays from 8:30am to 4pm, and Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm. Admission is $3 (2015).

Fort Frederik was listed as a contributing property in the Frederiksted Historic District in 1976. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It was further declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997.

Fort Frederik now stands guard over the Eliza James-McBean Clock Tower and Emancipation Park, a town park right in front of the Frederiksted fort and waterfront. The park contains statues of historically important Virgin Islanders. Small paths weave through dozens of large mahogany trees and fragrant flowers. This Federiksted park honors the slave revolt leader General Buddhoe and also serves to recall and honor the 1848 proclamation by Governor Peter von Scholten that emancipated slaves in the Danish islands. The park has many benches and a small gazebo and is the location for Jazz in the Park, every 3rd Friday of the month (2014).^[1]

Historic fort built by Denmark and Norway. Fort Christian is a Dano-Norwegian-built fort in Charlotte Amalie, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Built 1672-1680, early in the first successful colonial establishment on the island, the fort served as a critical point of defense and government during the entire period of Dano-Norwegian, and later Danish, administration, which ended in 1917 with the sale of the islands to the United States. It currently holds the St. Thomas Museum, which holds artifacts and art of the Dano-Norwegian period. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1977.

The fort property was the Charlotte Amalie National Historic Site, also known as St. Thomas National Historic Site, which was a U.S. National Historic Site from December 24, 1960 until February 5, 1975, when it was disbanded and ownership was transferred to Virgin Islands, to be administered as a territorial park. It is a contributing property in the Charlotte Amalie Historic District.^[2]

Historical landmark in Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands. Christiansted National Historic Site commemorates urban colonial development of the Virgin Islands. It features 18th and 19th century structures in the heart of Christiansted, the capital of the former Danish West Indies on St. Croix Island.

The site consists of six historic structures: Fort Christiansværn (constructed from 1738 to 1749), the Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse (1749), the Church of Our Lord Sabaoth Steeple Building (1753), Customs House (built 1840-1842), the Scale House (1856), and Government House (1747). The Danish West India and Guinea Company held slave auctions within the walled compound of their warehouse until 1803, when the slave trade was outlawed.^[9]

Tourist attraction in Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands. Frederiksted Historic District is a historic district located on the island of Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Frederiksted Historic District includes the original town laid out in a gridiron plan in 1751. Fort Frederik, which now houses a museum, was the original focal point of the town plan. The original buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1758. In 1878, plantation workers set fire to much of the town during the Fireburn insurrection. The fire damaged areas were rebuilt, with many of the buildings reflecting Georgian and Late Victorian architectural detailing. Significant buildings in the district include the Fort Frederik and the Customs House.^[11]

National park in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Salt River Bay National Historic Park and Ecological Preserve is a unit of the National Park Service on the island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It preserves upland watersheds, mangrove forests, and estuarine and marine environments that support threatened and endangered species. It also contains the Columbus Landing Site, a National Historic Landmark that is the only known site where members of a Columbus expedition set foot on what is now United States territory. The site is marked by Fort Salé, a remaining earthworks fortification from the French period of occupation, about 1617. The park also preserves prehistoric and colonial-era archeological sites including the only existing example of a ball court in the US Virgin Islands.^[14]

Building in Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands. The Danish West India and Guinea Company Warehouse is a historic building located at Church and Company Streets in Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands. Built circa 1750 for the Danish West India and Guinea Company, the building served as the center of Danish commerce on Saint Croix during the 18th and early 19th centuries. At the time, the U.S. Virgin Islands were known as the Danish West Indies, and Saint Croix had the most successful economy of the three islands. The building is representative of Danish colonial architecture and features stucco walls made of imported brick, an inner courtyard, and several cisterns. After its use as a warehouse ended in the 19th century, the building served as a telegraph office; it became a post office and customs house after the United States purchased the islands.

The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 9, 1974. It is part of the Christiansted National Historic Site.^[16]

Islet in the United States Virgin Islands. Whistling Cay is a 19-acre islet, situated 300 yards west of Mary Point on Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands. It is covered with trees and high cliffs in the north, where it reaches a 130-foot elevation. A gravel beach is located on the southeast side of the island. It is separated from Saint John by the Fungi Passage, which has a depth of 21 feet.

Whistling Cay can be reached by boat or kayak from Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay, or Francis Bay and it is a popular destination for scuba diving and snorkeling. During the 19th century, customs officials stationed on the islet would stop and inspect boats plying the passage between the British Virgin Islands and the then Danish Virgin Islands. It is located within the Virgin Islands National Park.^[17]