Barren Spot is estate 21 in St. Croix’s King’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the windmill was likely built in the 1760s and decommissioned before 1856. The estate name was likely a corruption of Barnspol that translates to Children’s Pool from Danish. The inscription stone is illegible. The windmill is in good condition.
Sugar cultivation took place by 1750 in estate 21, which evolved to become Barren Spot. The 1750 map along with both Beck map printings included an animal mill. This transformed to a windmill on the annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies starting in 1766.
The 1799 Oxholm map locates a windmill at the eastern edge of a wide hill at Barnspol. This windmill was likely decommissioned by 1851, appearing as a tower identified as Old Mill appearing at the bottom of the hill rather than the top of it on the Parsons map. The 1921 topographic map identifies the windmill ruin as Old Mill No.2 while the 1958 and 1982 topographic maps include ruins identifiable as a windmill in an unnamed area.
In 1750, Peter Markoe’s widow is attributed ownership of estate 21. Ownership transferred to Matthew Ferrall by 1766 and then to C. McEvoy by 1790.
McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.31) indicates the name Barren Spot is a corruption of Barnspol, a name found on the 1799 Oxholm map. This estate later merged with the neighboring estate in Queen’s Quarter to share the name Barren Spot between the two. The word barnspol translates from Danish to children’s pool.