Green Kay is estate 14 in St. Croix’s East End A Quarter, deriving its name from the nearby islet. A windmill first appears on Oxholm’s 1799 map. Reinforcing this late construction is a window above the main entrance along with a hearth. The inscription stone dated 1804 with the name Cecilia raises questions about the purpose of inscription stones. The windmill tower is in very good condition, abandoned in a field.
Green Kay estate settlement can be traced to the French period through historic maps, although the cultivation of sugar likely did not start until the end of the 18th century. The appearance of the windmill on Oxholm’s 1799 map coupled with the inscription stone above the mill’s main entrance dated 1804 create a question of the mill’s construction date and the meaning of inscription stones.
During the French period, the point currently named Pull Point was called Plum Point, while the bay to the east, currently named Prune Bay, was called Plum Cove (or Grand anse aux prunes) and the bay to the west, currently called Chenay Bay, was called Chenaye Bay. The area was indicated settled by Chausson.
In 1750, Green Kay estate was planted in cotton with ownership attributed to Thomas Johan. For all the Beck map printings, annotated maps, and manuscript copies through the 1770s, no sugar machinery is indicated and ownership is attributed to Peter Heiliger Senior. By the 1790s, ownership changed to Coppy.
The 1799 Oxholm map indicates a windmill on a ridge at grön Kay with a structure to the southwest, a depiction reproduced on the 1820 revision with the addition of a dwelling to the northwest. Parsons places a windmill in the same location in 1856, with structures to the southeast and west.
Since Oxholm’s map was based on data collected through 1799 and printed in 1799, the inscription stone above the main entrance raises an intriguing question. The stone, dated 1804 with the name Cecilia, raises the questions of the meaning of these inscriptions. Many people wonder who was Cecilia.
The US topographic maps indicate the ruins of a windmill at the same location as Oxholm and Parsons, confirmed by field reconnaissance. The elevation of the base of the mill is approximately 90 feet above sea level.
The McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p. 88) simply notes the location and ownership details of Greencay Estate.