Christopher Columbus discovered the US Virgin Islands a year after discovering the mainland, 1493. Ownership of all US Virgin Islands real estate and domain of the area first passed to the British, then to the Dutch , French, Spanish, the Knights of Malta and then the Danes. The United States purchased the Virgin Islands in the midst of World War I, for a payment of $25 million.
If you’re discussing moving to the US Virgin Islands (USVI) or into real estate on St. Thomas or other VI islands, you may want to learn something about Caribbean culture first. Nearby Blackbeard’s Castle is also a historic slice of Caribbean culture. It looms over the little town, as it has since the 17th century. Once a stronghold castle called Skytsborg, today it houses a hotel and restaurant.
The unique Caribbean culture of the US Virgin Islands is made up of the heritage of its ancient inhabitants. Early owners of the US Virgin Islands included those from West Africa, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Poland, and Germany, beginning in the late 15th century. Much of Caribbean culture reverberates in the music of the USVI. Here you will immerse yourself in cariso, calypso, reggae, soca and steel pan songs and melodies. The art is rampant in the local flavor of its drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures. Camille Pissarro, a noted Impressionist painter, was one of the accomplished artists who owned property on St. Thomas and other islands in the US Virgin Islands.
You’ll get a great insight into Caribbean culture in the many festivities. On St. Croix Island there is a holiday called Three Kings Day, St. John’s Island is home to the USVI’s 4th of July celebrations and on St. Thomas Island it is the annual Carnival. There are tons of other annual celebrations that reflect the Caribbean culture of the area.
The story behind the St. Thomas property’s Caribbean owners is steeped in Caribbean history, including Pirates of the Seas, and is best found at the island’s historic Fort Christian National Monument. The oldest structure on the islands, Fort Christian, is located in the town of Charlotte Amalie. Here you can visit the Museum of the Virgin Islands and investigate the memories of the early islanders. Fort Christian Market Square has been a bustling marketplace since the 1700s. While food and other goods are now sold there, its earliest sales were of slaves. The Emancipation Garden is near Market Square. It is named after Governor Peter von Scholten’s emancipation of the slaves in 1848. The oldest tabernacle in the US that has persisted in continuous use is also located on St. Thomas.
Additional interesting views of Caribbean culture can be found at the Crown House on St. Thomas Government Hill. Still elegant, it was the home of the Harbor Master and Governor General of the West Indies when Denmark ruled the area. A bit more of local Danish history, the Seven Arches Museum is a fully restored house from around 1700, complete with slave entrances. Owning a property in St. Thomas is clearly having a piece of history in a land steeped in Caribbean culture.