Town of Frederiksted | |
---|---|
Nickname: Freedom City | |
Coordinates: 17°42′42″N64°52′55″W / 17.71167°N 64.88194°W | |
Sovereign state | United States |
Territory | United States Virgin Islands |
Island | Saint Croix |
ZIP code | 00840, 00841 |
Area code | 340 |
Frederiksted (the Danish translation of "Frederik's Place") is both a town and one of the two administrative districts of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is a grid-planned city, designed by surveyor Jens Beckfor, originally to 14x14 blocks but built 7x7 to enhance the island commerce in the 1700s. Fewer than 1,000 people live in Frederiksted proper, but nearly 10,000 live on the greater western side of the island. Christiansted (mid-island on the north) is about 30 years older, but commerce was limited by its natural, shallow protective reef. Frederiksted was built in the leeward side of the island (shadow of the wind) for calm seas and a naturally deep port. It is home to Fort Frederik, constructed to protect the town from pirate raids and attacks from rival imperialist nations and named after Frederick V of Denmark, who purchased the Danish West Indies in 1754.
Locals often call Frederiksted "Freedom City". This nickname has to do with the fact that the town was the site of the emancipation of slaves in the then-Danish West Indies. On July 3, 1848, freed slave and skilled craftsman Moses Gottlieb, also known as "General Buddhoe", led the uprising, organized slaves on St. Croix's West End plantations, and marched on Frederiksted. The emancipation of slaves was proclaimed on July 3, 1848, at Fort Frederik on the waterfront at the northern edge of Frederiksted by Governor-General Peter von Scholten.
Frederiksted is home to one of two deep water ports on St. Croix and is the sole port for cruise ships visiting the island. Passengers disembark at the Frederiksted Pier, where they may explore the town, enjoy the beaches, rent a car, or catch a taxi that to other points of interest on St. Croix. The other deep water port is at the South Port and includes the tank farm of the former Hovensa oil refinery and Renaissance Industrial Park. Several government offices occupy historic buildings in the town.
In the early 2000s, Frederiksted was briefly a port for Seaborne Airlines seaplanes, which are based in Christiansted. [1] Seaplane service ended after less than a year when a tropical storm damaged the port facility.
The 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami heavily damaged the town. The tsunami with an estimated height of 7.6 meters beached the USS Monongahela onshore. At least five people were killed. [2]
The town was destroyed by a labor revolt (known as "The Fireburn" because arson was utilized as a means of revolt) in October 1878, which was led by four Crucian female laborers. Frederiksted was restored during the Victorian era, as reflected in its architecture.
Modern Frederiksted operates at a slower pace than Christiansted, except for carnival in January and whenever cruise ships dock in its deepwater port. In recent years successful redevelopment efforts have begun to restore and revitalize this National Historic Site. The 2000 census population of the town was 732, and that of the larger sub-district was 3,767. [3]
Several companies [7] have drafted plans to refurbish and enhance the greater Frederiksted area. The Public Finance Authority retained Coastal Systems [8] to develop concepts for a waterfront park, beach, cruise pier, and other site improvements. Teams of land planners, engineers, and landscape architects met with local interest groups to develop plans for redevelopment of the area. Environmental regulatory surveys and permits were managed by the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Agency of the USVI. Phase I of the project was completed, which consisted of the reconstruction of the waterfront park while maintaining the historical facade representative of St. Croix's heritage. Natural stonework was used throughout the project site in accordance with the local architectural style. [9]
Phase II of the project will involve reconstruction of the community waterfront north of the fort and re-creation of breakwaters, reconstruction of Paul E. Joseph Stadium, and restoration of the beach, restroom facilities, retaining pond, utilities, parking areas, and soccer fields.
Volunteerism is a big part of Frederiksted. Clean Sweep Frederiksted [10] [11] engages volunteers in community cleanups, mural and garden projects, and other opportunities. [12] It also worked with the Artists Guild of St. Croix to install dozens of painted rum barrels as community trash bins. [13] The Artists Guild of St. Croix [14] has installed several murals and [15] paintings, and sponsors scholarships. Delta Dorsch, who was born in Frederiksted, wrote The Role of the Storyteller in the Preservation of Virgin Islands Culture (1999) and contributed to The Glory Days of Frederiksted (2004) about Frederiksted's culture. [16]
This section needs to be updated.(March 2018) |
Frederiksted has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) featuring very warm to hot weather year-round.
Water temperatures are usually around 78 to 79 °F (25.6 to 26.1 °C) in winter and 85 °F (29.4 °C) in September. The waters are typically very calm, as Frederiksted is in the leeward side (shadow of the island's wind) with about a 12 inches or 0.30 metres tide.
The sunrise varies from 5:30 a.m. in summer to 7:00 a.m. in winter. Sunset varies between 5:40 p.m. in winter to 7:10 p.m. in summer. St. Croix does not use Daylight Saving Time. The ultraviolet index varies from 10+ in the summer and a maximum of 7 in winter.
Persistent 19-knot (35 km/h; 22 mph) easterly trade winds, moving from east to west across the island year round create a cool breeze.
Rainforests occur on the western side of St. Croix due to the topography featuring 1,400 foot or 400 metres peaks, which gather moisture from the trade winds. This rainforest climate is unique to the Frederiksted side of St. Croix.
Climate data for Frederiksted, United States Virgin Islands | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 82 (28) | 82 (28) | 84 (29) | 84 (29) | 86 (30) | 87 (31) | 87 (31) | 87 (31) | 87 (31) | 87 (31) | 86 (30) | 84 (29) | 85 (30) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 69 (21) | 69 (21) | 69 (21) | 71 (22) | 73 (23) | 75 (24) | 75 (24) | 75 (24) | 75 (24) | 73 (23) | 71 (22) | 71 (22) | 72 (23) |
Average rainfall inches (mm) | 2.2 (56) | 1.9 (48) | 1.6 (41) | 2.6 (66) | 4.0 (100) | 2.7 (69) | 3.3 (84) | 4.3 (110) | 5.6 (140) | 5.4 (140) | 4.5 (110) | 3.6 (91) | 41.7 (1,060) |
Source: Weatherbase [17] |
Hurricanes:
The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.
The United States Virgin Islands (USVI) is the only place under United States jurisdiction where the rule of the road is to drive on the left. However, virtually all passenger vehicles are left hand drive due to imports of U.S. vehicles.
The Danish West Indies or Danish Virgin Islands or Danish Antilles were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with 32 square miles (83 km2); Saint John with 19 square miles (49 km2); and Saint Croix with 84 square miles (220 km2). The islands have belonged to the United States as the Virgin Islands since they were purchased in 1917. Water Island was part of the Danish West Indies until 1905, when the Danish state sold it to the East Asiatic Company, a private shipping company.
Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States.
Hurricane Hugo was a powerful tropical cyclone that inflicted widespread destruction across the northeastern Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in September 1989. The eleventh tropical cyclone, eighth named storm, sixth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the 1989 Atlantic hurricane season, Hugo arose from a cluster of thunderstorms near Cape Verde on September 10, 1989. This cluster coalesced into a tropical depression and strengthened into Tropical Storm Hugo as it tracked west across the Atlantic Ocean for several days. On September 13, Hugo became a hurricane and continued to intensify though September 15 when its sustained winds peaked at 160 mph (255 km/h), making it a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. Between September 17 and 21, Hugo made landfall on Guadeloupe, Saint Croix, Puerto Rico, and lastly South Carolina, with major hurricane strength winds. The storm weakened inland and accelerated north over the Eastern United States, transitioning into an extratropical cyclone on September 23 before it was last noted in the far northern Atlantic on September 25.
Saint Thomas is one of the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea, and a constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands (USVI), an unincorporated territory of the United States. Along with surrounding minor islands, it is one of three county-equivalents in the USVI. Together with Saint John, it forms one of the districts of the USVI. The territorial capital and port of Charlotte Amalie is located on the island.
Hurricane Lenny was the strongest November Atlantic hurricane since the 1932 Cuba hurricane. It was the twelfth tropical storm, eighth hurricane, and record-breaking fifth Category 4 hurricane in the 1999 Atlantic hurricane season. Lenny formed on November 13 in the western Caribbean Sea at around 18:00 UTC and went on to form and maintain an unusual and unprecedented easterly track for its entire duration, which gave it the common nickname, "Wrong Way Lenny". It attained hurricane status south of Jamaica on November 15 and passed south of Hispaniola and Puerto Rico over the next few days. Lenny rapidly intensified over the northeastern Caribbean on November 17, attaining peak winds of 155 mph (249 km/h) about 21 mi (34 km) south of Saint Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. It gradually weakened while moving through the Leeward Islands, eventually dissipating on November 23 over the open Atlantic Ocean.
Christiansted is the largest town on Saint Croix, one of the main islands composing the United States Virgin Islands, a territory of the United States of America. The town is named after King Christian VI of Denmark.
WVIS is a radio station licensed to serve Vieques, Puerto Rico. The station is owned by V.I. Stereo Communications Corporation (P.R.).
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.
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.
Stateside Virgin Islanders are West Indian Americans who hold US citizenship and who have migrated from the U.S. Virgin Islands to the continental United States and Hawaii, and their descendants.
The 1878 St. Croix labor riot, locally also known as Fireburn, was a labor riot on Saint Croix, one of the Virgin Islands, then part of the Danish West Indies. The revolt started on October 1, 1878, and was suppressed after several days of looting and burning. Among the leaders were several women—"Queen Mary" Thomas, "Queen Agnes" Salomon, and "Queen Mathilda" McBean—who became known as "Queens of the Fireburn".
The Frederiksted Pier is the 1,526-foot, deep water, cruise ship pier located in Frederiksted, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is located at the west end of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and accommodate two Eagle-class vessels, of a maximum of 142,000 gross tons each with drafts up to 29 feet and two mini-cruise vessels with drafts of 18 feet. Anchorage is also available in the outer harbor for larger ships. The platform of the pier is equipped with a fendering system that is designed for submarines.
Frederik Christian Hals von Moth was a Danish merchant, nobleman, colonial administrator and planter who served as Governor-General of St. Thomas and St. John in the Danish West Indies from April 1724 - May 1727 then again from 21 February 1736 - 13 April 1744. In addition, he served as Governor of St. Croix from 8 January 1735 - 15 May 1747. In 1736, his title was changed to Governor General (generalguvernør). His military rank was Commander (kommandørkaptajn). In addition, he held the rank of justitsråd.
Delta Dorsch was an educator, story-teller and preserver of the cultural history of the United States Virgin Islands. Teaching for 38 years, working with the Department of Education and the Commission on the Preservation of Virgin Islands Culture, Dorsch was a tireless advocate for conserving traditions of the Virgin Islands and teaching as a means of giving them life. She contributed two books on the history and traditions of the country and received many awards and honors in recognition of her work.
Frederik Christian von Meley was a Danish army officer, administrator, and surveyor who settled on the island of Saint Croix in the Danish West Indies. He is noted for the quality of his maps, which give valuable information on the economy and society of the island in his time.
Vigilant was a Baltimore schooner, possibly originally launched in 1794 as Nonsuch. She appeared in the Danish West Indies as Vigilant from 1824. She carried the mail and passenger traffic between St. Croix and St. Thomas in the 19th and the first decade of the 20th century. A storm sank Vigilant on 12 September 1928.
The 1916 Virgin Islands hurricane was a strong tropical cyclone that inflicted extensive damage across the Virgin Islands in October 1916. It was the region's most destructive storm since at least the 1867 San Narciso hurricane; Consul General Christopher Payne and archaeologist Theodoor de Booy considered the 1916 storm as the archipelago's most damaging. Its peak intensity was equivalent to a Category 3 on the modern Saffir–Simpson scale. The storm began as a tropical depression southeast of Barbados on October 6, though little is known about the storm's origins or its developing stages; by the time its center was first located, the cyclone was already a hurricane and causing damage in the Virgin Islands. After forming, the storm moved northwest into the eastern Caribbean Sea and strengthened quickly. Rough seas were produced in the Windward Islands at Dominica and Saint Kitts as the storm passed nearby between October 7–8, damaging coastal villages.
The 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami occurred on November 18, at 14.45 in the Anegada Passage about 20 km southwest of Saint Thomas, Danish West Indies. The Ms 7.5 earthquake came just 20 days after the devastating San Narciso Hurricane in the same region. Tsunamis from this earthquake were some of the highest ever recorded in the Lesser Antilles. Wave heights exceeded 10 m (33 ft) in some islands in the Lesser Antilles. The earthquake and tsunami resulted in no more than 50 fatalities, although hundreds of casualties were reported.
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