Estate La Grande Princesse

La Grande Princesse is an unnumbered estate in St. Croix’s Company’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the first windmill was likely built in the 1740s and the second in the 1760s. The windmill was incorporated into a dwelling. Translated from French, the estate name means Great Princess. One windmill tower is in good condition and the other reduced to a foundation. Photos are currently only available for the windmill tower that remains standing. The windmill reduced to a foundation is obscured by bush, reducing the information value of photographs.

Since La Grande Princess started in the Danish period as the company’s plantation, it is not surprising that sugar cultivation came early, with structures including a windmill and an animal mill depicted on the 1750 map. The Beck printings include a single windmill at Plantagien Princessen. The annotated Beck maps add a second windmill, with three of them adding it to the left or west of the printed windmill and one annotated map plus the two manuscript copies configuring them with the added windmill to the right or east of the original windmill.

The 1778 and 1799 Oxholm maps both depict two windmills at La Princesse. The 1856 Parsons map also depicts two windmills at Great Princess. The 1919 topographic sheet depicts a stone fan mill at Great Princess, while the later topographic maps show no ruins identifiable as a windmill at La Grande Princesse.

The maps until 1770 only indicate ownership as Plantagien Princessen. In 1770, Baron von Schimmelmann receives ownership attribution. Ownership in 1790 also attributed to Count Schimmelmann.

McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.85, 109, 150) suggests that Princess Quarter, coterminous with Prinzess plantage, or Princess Estate… presumably was administered directly, like a quarter. While this estate had its root in company ownership, an early owner identified as house of Schimmelman of Copenhagen.

Photos of La Grande Princesse, 2020s

Closeup of the windmill tower with two doors open in the arched opening. Large and exaggerated trim around the opening.
La Grande Princesse east windmill exterior from the west featuring a closeup of the main entrance. The raised keystone and other trim is not original to the windmill.
Windmill tower from a slight distance with a peach-colored dwelling butting up against it on the left. Two parallel stone walls for landscaping in the foreground.
La Grande Princesse windmill exterior from the west featuring the main entrance.
Windmill tower with concrete stairway going up on the left to an entrance to an upper floor, since the machine slot partly blocked. Lower portion of the machine slot now has a louvered window
La Grande Princesse east windmill exterior from the southwest.
Windmill tower with concrete stairway going up on the left to an entrance to an upper floor, since the machine slot partly blocked. Lower portion of the machine slot now has a louvered window
La Grande Princesse east windmill exterior from the southwest featuring the machine slot.
Windmill tower with concrete stairway going up on the left to an entrance to an upper floor, since the machine slot partly blocked. Lower portion of the machine slot now has a louvered window
La Grande Princesse east windmill exterior from the south featuring the machine slot. The stairway going to the second level is not original to the mill, being added when it was converted to a dwelling.
Windmill tower bounded by a blue sky. A while drainpipe runs the length of the tower. A yellow building connects with the tower on the right.
La Grande Princesse east windmill exterior from the southeast. Notice the slope of the hillside, which contributed to the selection of this site to build the mill.
Windmill tower at a slight distance between two palm tree trunks, a light post, and next to another palm tree. Blue sky beyond and vegetation in front.
La Grande Princesse east windmill exterior from the south featuring the machine slot. The stairway going to the second level is not original to the mill, being added when it was converted to a dwelling.
Windmill tower with two square windows at different levels. Yellow building in the foreground.
La Grande Princesse east windmill exterior from the east.

Historic Maps of La Grande Princesse

Snippets of the U.S. Geological Service topographic maps of 1958 & 1982 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
he 1958 and 1982 photorevision of the USGS topographic map show no ruins identifiable as a windmill at La Grande Princesse.
Snippet of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic map of 1920 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
The 1919 USCGS topographic sheet shows Stone Fan Mill in the center of Great Princess.
Snippet of the Danish Atlantic Islands Association map of 1907 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
The 1907 map identifies an estate at Great Princess.
Snippet of the Parsons map of 1856 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
Parsons’ 1856 map depicts two windmills with other structures to the west in the center of Great Princess.
Snippet of the Oxholm map of 1799 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
Oxholm’s 1799 map shows two windmills at the bottom of a hill with other structures to the northwest in the center of la Princesse.
Snippets of the Mühlenfels map of 1790 & the Janssen map of 1791 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
The 1790 & 1791 manuscript maps after Beck by Mühlenfels & Janssen attribute ownership of estate Princess to Count Schimmelmann.
Snippet of the Küffner map of 1767 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
The 1767 Küffner manuscript copy of Beck’s map depicts a sugar mill and attributes ownership to Prinzess in the area of La Grande Princesse.
Snippets of all 5 annotated Beck maps plus the 2 manuscript copies made from 1766 to 1770 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
The annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies added a second windmill, with the exception of the 1770 annotated map that only added ownership names. The 1766, 1767, and c.1767 manuscript copies added the windmill on the left, west side of the windmill from the printed map. The c.1770 added the windmill to the right or east side, a configuration replicated on both the manuscript copies. Ownership attributed to Baron v. Schimelmann on all the 1770 and c.1770 annotated maps.
Snippet of the c1757 Beck map featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
Both Beck printings show a windmill icon to the east of the road in the center of estate Princess.
Snippet of the 1754 Beck map featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
Both Beck printings show a windmill icon to the east of the road in the center of estate Princess.
Snippet of the Cronenberg and von Jaegersberg map of 1750 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
The 1750 map by Cronenberg and von Jægersberg indicates sugar cultivation and structures including an animal mill and a windmill in estate Princess. Estate described simply as Princess Plantation.
Snippet of the Lapointe map of 1671 featuring Company's Quarter estate Princess, currently named La Grande Princesse.
During the French period, ownership in the La Grande Princesse area is attributed to Rouere.