Estate Solitude

Solitude is estate 10 in St. Croix’s East End B Quarter. Cotton Valley was involved in both cotton and sugar production. Sugar was produced here after 1794 and the windmill constructed by 1856. This windmill tower is in very good condition.

Estate Solitude had sugar production arise after 1794, not atypical for an estate on the far East End. Like the entire eastern one third of St. Croix, no habitation is shown during the French period. The plantation is in cotton production by 1750. In what should all be estate 10, the northwest corner includes a subdivision for estate 37. This represents a carve out most likely from squatters present on St. Croix when the Danish took ownership in 1733.

On the variations of the Beck map in the 1750s and 1760s, an additional split in ownership is shown on the coast, in the northern extremity of the estate. The maps of the 1790s show shifting land ownership along the coast. Oxholm depicts Solitude as a cotton plantation. By 1856, Parsons indicates a windmill atop the hill at Solitude, with a structure to the west and a village to the north, down the hill. Both iterations of the USGS topographic map show the mill base at an elevation of just over 100 feet, with the 1921 map indicating the mill top at an elevation of 140 feet, estimating a mill tower height over 30 feet.

Photos of Solitude, 2020s

Exterior of Solitude East End B windmill west face centered on the main entrance and keystone treatment.
Solitude windmill western exterior featuring the main opening. The keystone over the main opening matches the keystone at estate Shoys windmill. Some of the plaster that covered the entire mill remains, although the fieldstone building material is quite evident. The original bagasse opening is on the left. The east-facing window can be seen through the main opening.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing north highlighting the presence of some remaining beams.
Solitude windmill interior facing north, featuring the juice trough opening and looking at the sea in the distance. Notice the limestone block lining the opening differs from the fieldstone used to construct the mill. A portion of both beams that would have held the top of the crushing rollers in place are evident.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing west featuring the main entrance, a beam from when the mill operated, & opening trim.
Solitude windmill interior facing west, featuring the main opening. Notice the beam from when the mill was still in operation remains. Also, the trim around the interior of the main opening remains. The edge of the bagasse opening can be seen to the right. Also notice the slots where the beams would have supported floors. The top portion of the mill remains, with the vertical slots used for beams that would support the mill’s cap.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing west featuring the main entrance and a beam from when the mill operated.
Solitude windmill interior facing west, featuring the main opening. Notice the beam from when the mill was still in operation remains. Also, the trim around the interior of the main opening remains. Also notice the slots where the beams would have supported floors.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing west featuring the main entrance highlighting all the beam slots in the wall.
Solitude windmill interior facing west, featuring the main opening. Notice the vertical slots where the beams would have supported the cap of the windmill and the lower slots where beams would have supported a floor.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing southwest through the second bagasse opening.
Solitude windmill interior facing southwest, featuring the second bagasse opening. The edge of the main opening to the right and sunlight coming through the machine slot opening to the right all have the limestone trim remaining. Note that the bagasse opening has brick lining it. This difference in material lining the opening indicates this bagasse opening was carved out of the mill after the mill was already operating. This modification to the mill indicates the rotational direction of the mill’s sails were reversed, since the crushed cane would have come out a different direction from the mill’s rollers.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing northwest through the original bagasse opening.
Solitude windmill interior facing northwest, featuring the bagasse opening. The edge of the main opening to the left and the juice trough opening to the right all have the limestone trim remaining.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing east through the window.
Solitude windmill interior facing east, featuring the window that provided both air and ventilation to the mill.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing north through the juice trough opening.
Solitude windmill interior facing north, featuring the juice trough opening and looking at the sea in the distance. Notice the limestone block lining the opening differs from the fieldstone used to construct the mill. Portions of the work floor appear to remain.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing south through the machine slot opening.
Solitude windmill interior facing south, featuring the machine slot opening. Notice the beam from when the mill was still in operation remains. Also, the trim around the interior of the opening remains.
Interior of Solitude East End B windmill facing south through the machine slot opening featuring a remaining beam.
Solitude windmill interior facing south, featuring the machine slot opening. Notice the beam from when the mill was still in operation remains plus a slot where a matching beam would have been to hold the top of the crushing rollers in place.
Exterior of Solitude East End B windmill north side showing the juice trough opening with a ledge going around the mill.
Solitude windmill north exterior looking east, featuring the juice trough opening. Notice the ledge that goes around much of the mill.
Outside the Solitude East End B windmill showing the entrance to an underground structure.
Solitude windmill area featuring an underground structure that could be a cistern or the passage for the juice trough.

Historic Maps of Solitude

Snippets of the U.S. Geological Service topographic maps of 1958 & 1982 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The 1958 and 1982 photorevision of the USGS topographic map show a windmill ruin at Solitude with the base at approximately 100 feet elevation.
Snippet of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic map of 1920 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The 1921 USGS topographic map shows an old mill tower with the base at approximately 100 feet and the top at 140 feet elevation at Estate Solitude.
Snippet of the Danish Atlantic Islands Association map of 1907 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The 1907 map indicates a circle at Estate Solitude.
Snippet of the Parsons map of 1856 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
Parsons’ 1856 map depicts a windmill in Estate Solitude. A structure lies to the west of the mill, with a small village to the north.
Snippets of the Oxholm map of 1799 and the Lang updated to it of 1820 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
Oxholm’s 1799 map and the 1820 revision with the Lang revisions both show the symbol for a cotton plantation at Estate Solitude.
Snippets of the Mühlenfels map of 1790 & the Janssen map of 1791 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The 1790 & 1791 manuscript maps after Beck by Mühlenfels & Janssen attribute ownership of estate 10 to R. Heyliger.
Snippet of the Küffner map of 1767 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
Küffner’s 1767 Beck replica includes identifying a settlement in the area of estate 10, with no name included.
Snippets of the 2 manuscript copies of Beck from 1766 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The 1766 manuscript copies of Beck, like the annotated Becks, depict no sugar machinery in estate 10. Ownership for the estate is split, with the southern portion attributed to Samuel Gibbs and the northeastern portion to John Cutter. The 1766 map has John Kilster rather than Cutter and the Gibbs name scratched out.
Snippets of all 5 annotated Beck maps made from 1766 to 1770 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The 1766, 1767, c.1767, and 1770 annotated Beck maps illustrate no sugar machinery in estate 10. Ownership for the estate is split, with the southern portion attributed to Samuel Gibbs and the northeastern portion to John Cutter (or unattributed).
Snippet of the c1757 Beck map featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude7
The c1757 Beck map shows no sugar machinery in estate 10, with the carve out for estate 37 in the northwest corner of the estate.
Snippet of the 1754 Beck map featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The 1754 Beck map shows no sugar machinery in estate 10, with the carve out for estate 37 in the northwest corner of the estate.
Snippet of the Cronenberg and von Jaegersberg map of 1750 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
The Cronenberg and von Jægersberg map of 1750 indicates estate 10 is planted in cotton, evidenced by the blue coloring. Two plantation houses are drawn near the center of the estate, with other houses to the north that are carve outs, typical east of Christiansted. Ownership names are obscured by what appears to be a paper repair to the manuscript map.
Snippet of the Lapointe map of 1671 featuring East End B Quarter estate # 10, currently named Solitude.
During the French period, no settlement is indicated near Solitude.