Christiansted National Historic Site, on the island of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands, preserves historic structures that date from the island’s Danish colonial period. The site lies in the old section of Christiansted, the first Danish settlement on St. Croix and the capital of the Danish West Indies (now the U.S. Virgin Islands) from 1755 to 1871.
Historic buildings at Christiansted include Fort Christiansvaern, the best-preserved Danish fort in the Virgin Islands. Completed about 1749, the fort protected Danish shipping, enforced the collection of taxes on imports and exports, and housed Danish soldiers. Today, it has been restored to the way it looked during the 1830’s and 1840’s.
The Steeple Building, built in 1753, was St. Croix’s first Lutheran church. It is restored to look as it did about 1800 and houses a museum of the island’s early history. The grand Government House was the residence of the governors general, the officials who administered the island as representatives of the Danish king. Its earliest section dates back to 1747. The ballroom of Government House, restored to the way it appeared about 1840, is open to the public. The Scale House, where ships’ cargoes were inspected and weighed, is open for self-guided tours.
Additional structures include the Danish Custom House, which serves as headquarters for the historic site, and a warehouse of the Danish West India & Guinea Company. The company, often called simply the Danish West India Company, was a trading company that held a monopoly from the Danish government on trade with the Americas and West Africa.
Many of Christiansted’s historic buildings are made of yellow brick that Danish ships brought to St. Croix as ballast—that is, material kept in a ship’s hold for balance. Free black craftworkers planned and built many of the structures. These buildings incorporate such Neoclassical design elements as rhythmical arches, light and spacious interiors, and covered walkways.
Denmark bought St. Croix from France in 1733. The Danes hoped to cultivate sugar on the island. At first St. Croix was administered by the Danish West India & Guinea Company. The company burdened planters with high taxes, and St. Croix did not prosper. In 1755, the Danish crown took control of the island. New free-trade policies resulted in great profits for planters between 1760 and about 1820.
During the 1800’s, St. Croix’s economy declined. A slave uprising in 1848 caused the island’s governor to abolish slavery. Freeing the slaves who worked in the sugar fields weakened the plantation system of farming. A drop in sugar prices further damaged St. Croix’s economy. By the late 1800’s, St. Croix had become an economic burden for Denmark. In 1917, St. Croix became a U.S. possession when the United States bought the Virgin Islands for military use.
The Christiansted National Historic Site was created in 1952. The National Park Service manages the site.
