Estate Libanon Hill
Libanon Hill is estate 2 in St. Croix’s King’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the windmill was likely built in the 1760s. Subsequently, a steam chimney was built immediately west of the windmill. The windmill has been reduced to a foundation.
By 1750, cotton cultivation proceeding in estate 1 mirrored sugar cultivation in estate 2, although with no animal mill depicted. Both Beck printings included animal mills in both estate 1 and 2. By the 1766 annotated Beck map, sails added to the animal mill converted it to a windmill, as it appeared on all the other annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies, except the 1770 annotated map that only added landowner names.
The 1799 Oxholm map shows a windmill at Libanon at the end of a road perched between two ridges. The 1856 Parsons map also shows a windmill at Libanon with the road now making a sharp turn at the windmill and several structures to the west.
The 20th century topographic maps provide no ruins specifically identifiable as a windmill. While the 1921 topographic sheet indicates a chimney, the 1958 and 1982 topographic maps provide no ruins that could be mistaken for a windmill.
The 1750 map attributes ownership to Jacob Lyngberg for estate 1 and Jamie Bourins for estate 2. By 1766, ownership of the two estates combined under Baron de Bretton and remained consistent for all the annotated and manuscript Beck maps. A slight change in ownership by 1790 added a second owner, with attribution to L & P de Brittons.
McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.113) notes estate Libanon Hill includes estates 1 and 2 along with the east part of estate 3 in King’s Quarter.
Historic Maps of Libanon Hill
