Estate Richmond
Richmond is estate 2 in St. Croix’s Company’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the windmill was likely built in the 1750s and decommissioned before 1856. The windmill was likely demolished to make room for new construction. Field reconnaissance failed to locate ruins identifiable as a windmill.
Sugar cultivation came early to estate 2, with structures including an animal mill depicted on the 1750 map. The first Beck printing depicted an animal mill in estate 2, with sails added on the second printing from the mid-1750s and staying this way with the annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies.
The 1778 and 1799 Oxholm maps depicted a windmill at Richmond. The 1856 Parsons map omits a windmill or tower in the area. The 1919 topographic sheet located a mill north of the central factory stack. However, the later topographic maps depict no ruins identifiable as a windmill.
The 1750 map attributed ownership to Francis Brahs. All of the annotated Beck maps attributed ownership to Nicolay Tuite, an ownership that persisted through 1791.
McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.157) notes the location and that Richmond was originally part of the extensive holdings of Nicolay Tuite.
Historic Maps of Richmond
