Estate Little Princess

Little Princess is estate 5 in St. Croix’s Company’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, two windmills may have been built, with one windmill likely built in the 1760s. If a second windmill was built, that would have occurred in the 19th century. Given the location of one of the windmill icons by a stream, it could be a water tower. One windmill was blocked to store water after decommissioning. The estate was likely named for it being smaller than its neighbor, Great Princess. One windmill tower is in good condition and field reconnaissance failed to locate the other windmill.

Sugar cultivation came early to estate 5, with structures including an animal mill depicted on the 1750 map. Both Beck printings depicted an animal mill in estate 5. The annotated Beck maps added sails to the animal mill to depict a windmill.

The 1778 and 1799 Oxholm maps depict a windmill, with other structures to the south. The 1856 Parsons map depicts two windmills at Little Princess, one of which may have been a well tower. The 1919 topographic sheet shows two icons that could represent a windmill and later topographic maps both depicted ruins identifiable as a windmill.

The 1750 map attributed ownership to Moths heirs. The annotated Beck maps from 1766 through the early 1770s attributed ownership to Peter Heyliger Junior. By 1778 and through 1791, ownership stayed with Peter Heyliger Junior.

McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.118) notes comprising house, mill, and settlement with landing at western extremity of Christiansted Harbor. Noted Plantage of Peter Heyliger, jr.