Estate Diamond Keturah
Diamond Keturah is estate 31 in St. Croix’s Company’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the windmill was likely built in the 19th century. The windmill tower is in good condition.
While the windmill was built in estate 31, the neighboring estate 32 to the west had a sugar mill slightly earlier. The 1750 map indicates estate 32 planted in sugar cane and depicted structures including an animal mill, while estate 31 planted in cotton and provisions. Both Beck printings included an animal mill in estate 32 with no sugar mill icon in estate 31. The annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies retain the animal mill in estate 32 and add an animal mill to estate 31.
The 1799 Oxholm map depicted an animal mill at Diamond. The 1856 Parsons map depicted a windmill at Diamond. All the 20th-century topographic maps depicted ruins identifiable as a windmill.
The 1750 map attributes ownership of estate 32 to Robbelsog De Leon with ownership of the northern half of estate 31 to Robert Allen and southern half to Adam Wallis. The western portion of estate 30, which became incorporated into Diamond Keturah has ownership attributed to Frances Surleinis. From 1766 through 1770, the annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies attributed ownership of estate 32 to Laurence Bodkin and estate 31 and the portion of estate 30 to John Peter Richardson. By 1790, ownership transitioned for estate 32 to Christopher McEvoy and estate 31 to Cuttre.
McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (pp.65, 117) notes Little Diamond Mill on southwest skirt of 80-foot hill overlooking Manchenil Bay.
Historic Maps of Diamond Keturah
