Estate Mount Pleasant Colquehoun
Mount Pleasant Colquehoun is estate 6 in St. Croix’s King’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the windmill was likely built in the 1750s. The estate was likely named for longtime early owners, members of the Colhoun family. The windmill has been reduced to a foundation.
The 1750 map indicates sugar cultivation but no animal mill. Intriguingly, the animal mill depicted to the west of the stream in estate 6 on the first Beck printing was buffed out and a windmill to the east of the stream added to the second printing. While the 1766 annotated Beck map adds sails to the animal mill, all the other annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies include the windmill on the east side of the stream.
The 1799 Oxholm map shows a windmill on the lower eastern flank of a hill at Mount pleasant, with the rod running from the east ending at the structures northeast of the windmill. The 1856 Parsons map also indicates a windmill with an elevation of 221 feet at Mt. Pleasant. On this map, structures included to south are balanced with structures to the north at the road’s end.
The 1921 topographic sheet indicates an old mill tower at an elevation of 220 feet at Colquehoun Mt. Pleasant. The later 1958 and 1982 topographic maps make no mention of ruins at Mt Pleasant.
The 1750 map attributes ownership to Thomas Eils. By 1766, ownership attribution shifted to Robert Colhune’s heirs, as consistently represented on all the annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies. By 1790, ownership transitioned simply to Colhoun.
McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.57, 131) notes a mill on the southeast slope of Colquohoun Mt. Pleasant hill. The name Colquohoun corrupted from the Colhoun family, being added to distinguish Mt. Pleasant from identically named estates in other St. Croix quarters.
Photos of Mount Pleasant Colquehoun, 2020s
Historic Maps of Mount Pleasant Colquehoun
