Estate Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm

Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm includes estates 50 & 11 in St. Croix’s East End A Quarter. Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm’s name does not appear to derive from owners identified on historic maps. Sugar was produced by the 1760s, with a windmill appearing on Oxholm’s 1799 map. The windmill tower is in very good condition.

Settlement of the area of Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm extends to at least the French period on St. Croix. In the Danish period, the 1750 map indicates cotton cultivation in the southern portion owned by Joseph Lineefay and provisions in the norther portion owned by Kenny Barn.

The Beck printings show no sugar cultivation. However, most of the annotated maps and manuscript copies of Beck indicate an animal mill either in estate 11 or 50. These maps attribute ownership, with varied spelling, to John Cravin. By the 1790s, ownership changed to Thomas Bourk.

The 1799 Oxholm map depicted a windmill in the southwest corner of estate 50 and a structure to the southeast of it. Other structures, along with the indication of cotton cultivation, appear across East End Road. All lie within South-gate Farm. The 1820 revision to Oxholm indicates the same structures. Parsons indicates a windmill in the same relative location in 1856 at Southgate.

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 40 feet above sea level.

The McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p. 181) describes the Southgate plain to the south of Southgate pond and notes the farm buildings on a 60-foot rise, ½ mile from shore.

Photos of Southgate (Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farms) 2020

Distant view of Southgate windmill from the southwest.
Distant view of Southgate windmill. Notice the top rim around the mill, indicating the top of the mill has not collapsed. The mill sits on a slight knoll.
Closeup of Southgate windmill from the southwest.
Closeup of Southgate windmill. Notice the rectangular shape of the exterior blocks that are not uniform in size. The pink color is from plaster used on the exterior of the mill. This photo highlights the machine slot. The juice trough would be opposite this, so the factory would have been away from the viewer.

Historic Maps of Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm

Snippets of the U.S. Geological Service topographic maps of 1958 & 1982 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The 1958 USGS map 1982 photorevision show the ruins of a windmill at Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
Snippet of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic map of 1920 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The 1919 USGS topographic map shows the icon for a stone fanmill with no fan along with a stone fanmill with a fan. The icon without the fan coincides with the location of the sugar crushing windmill found in the field. The icon for the stone fanmill with the fan has a written indication of the location of a well.
Snippet of the Danish Atlantic Islands Association map of 1907 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The 1907 map indicates a circle at Southgate Farm.
Snippet of the Parsons map of 1856 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
Parsons’ 1856 map depicts a windmill with structures to the south of it at Southgate.
Snippet of the Oxholm featuring 1799 map East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The 1820 updates to Oxholm included soundings and navigational aids by Lang. These are seen most evidently in East End A quarter. A navigation sight line for The Sight mill goes near structures at South-gate Farm.
Snippet of the Oxholm map of 1799 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
Oxholm’s 1799 map shows a windmill in the western side of estate 50 at South-gate Farm along with some other structures. The icon for a cotton plantation appears in estate 9.
Snippets of the Mühlenfels map of 1790 & the Janssen map of 1791 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The 1790 & 1791 manuscript maps after Beck by Mühlenfels & Janssen both attribute ownership to Thomas Bourk.
Snippet of the Küffner map of 1767 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
Küffner’s 1767 manuscript copy of Beck’s map depicts a settlement in the area of Great Pond with no ownership attribution.
Snippets of the 2 manuscript copies of Beck from 1766 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The 1766 manuscript copies of Beck both depict an animal mill in estate 11 with ownership attributed to John Gravin.
Snippet of the annotated Beck map of c.1770 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The c.1770 annotated Beck map indicates no structures in estates 11 and 50 with ownership attributed to John Crawine.
Snippet of the annotated Beck map of 1770 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The annotated Beck map dated 1770 indicates no structures in estates 11 and 50 with ownership attributed for both estates attributed to Cravin. The names underlined in red indicates these estates were planted in sugar.
Snippets of the annotated Beck maps of 1767 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The annotated Beck maps dated 1767 and c.1767 indicate very likely the same animal mill from the 1766 annotated map, with the mill depicted in the north, estate 50, rather than south, estate 11. Ownership attributed to John Crawin.
Snippet of the annotated Beck map of 1766 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The annotated Beck map dated 1766 indicates an animal mill in estate 11, south of estate 50 with ownership attributed to John Gracin.
Snippets of both Beck maps printed in 1754 & circa 1757 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The Beck printings with data from 1752 and c.1755 show no structures in any of the estates associated with Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
Snippet of the Cronenberg and von Jaegersberg map of 1750 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
The Cronenberg and von Jægersberg map of 1750 indicates provision cultivation in estate 50 and attributes property ownership to Kenny Barn. Estate 11 includes several structures, cotton cultivation, and ownership attributed to Joseph Lineefay.
Snippet of the Lapointe map of 1671 featuring East End A Quarter estate # 50, currently named Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm.
During the French period, settlement by Provencal is indicated near Mount Roepstorff and Southgate Farm