Estate Big Fountain

Big Fountain is estate 11 in St. Croix’s Northside A Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, two windmills were likely built in the late 18th century. The windmill tower that has been found is partly collapsed. Field reconnaissance failed to locate ruins identifiable as the second windmill.

Given the location, available water, and breadth of the valley at Fountain, the relatively late settlement of this area creates questions. The area did not show any sugar cultivation through the 1750s, although the 1750 map attributes ownership to Peter Heiliger. Subsequently, the 1766-1767 annotated and manuscript copies of Beck attribute ownership to Major de Nully. The 1770 maps attribute ownership to Andrew Irvin, transitioning to O. Neal by 1790.

Oxholm depicts two windmills on a ridge on the 1799 map, while the 1856 Parsons map only includes one windmill with structures to the south and east. The 20th-century topographic maps show a windmill on a hill with structures to the south and west. A single windmill is easily found while no evidence has been found of a second mill, perhaps concealed by bush growing in the area.

McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.35 & p.78) emphasizes the ownership of Maj. De Nully and notes the ownership by Camming sugar plantations starting in 1856.

Photos of Big Fountain, 2020s

Vegetation surrounding the blue-roofed golf course club house with the windmill tower beyond it.
Bodkin windmill exterior from the north from a distance. The top of the mill not being level is not an optical illusion.
Windmill tower centered in the picture with square storage structure with an arch in it in the foreground.
Bodkin windmill exterior from the southwest featuring the main entrance on the left, bagasse opening center, and juice trough opening on the right. The square storage area in the foreground is separate from the windmill tower.
Interior windmill wall interrupted by arched opening. Beam slots above the opening would have supported an upper work floor.
Bodkin windmill interior facing west featuring the main entrance. To the left is the bagasse opening. Notice how thin the amount of masonry is between the main entrance and bagasse opening.
Interior of windmill in the afternoon with bright sunlight casting long shadows through three arched openings. Green vegetation quite evident outside the mill.
Bodkin windmill interior facing southwest featuring the juice trough opening on the left, bagasse opening center, and main entrance to the left. Robbing material from around the openings has reduced the amount of masonry remaining to support the mill tower.
Windmill tower centered in the image with arched opening through which opening beyond admits light.
Bodkin windmill exterior from the south featuring the juice trough opening. The bagasse opening is on the left and light can be seen through the machine slot on the other side of the mill.
Windmill with a staircase leading up to it.
Bodkin windmill interior facing northeast featuring the hearth. The flue rises upward to the left of the photo, exiting over the machine slot.
Windmill tower obscured by intervening vegetation. Machine slot opening visible in the center of the image.
Bodkin windmill exterior from the north featuring the machine slot. Notice how a portion of the top of the mill collapsed revealed by the unlevel top of the mill.
Mill wall exterior interrupted by the machine slot opening in the center of the image, with tan tans growing up outside the mill. Opposite mill wall visible through the opening.
Bodkin windmill exterior from the north looking upward at machine slot. Notice the yellow bricks lining the opening, raised on the exterior for decoration.
Mill wall interior with the machine slot in the center and blue sky visible and vegetation beyond. Opening gets wider at the bottom of the opening due to removed material.
Bodkin windmill interior facing north featuring the machine slot. Notice both the unlevel top revealing collapse of the top portion of the mill along with the yellow bricks lining the opening. The lower levels of the bricks have been removed from the mill.
Circle of blue sky surrounded by the mill wall interior, with the narrow machine slot also visible. This image shows the top portion of the mill tower mostly collapsed.
Bodkin windmill interior looking upward and including the machine slot. Notice the yellow bricks lining the opening and the removal of the bricks has significantly widened the opening.

Historic Maps of Big Fountain

Snippet of the U.S. Geological Service topographic map of 1982 featuring Northside A quarter estate # 11, currently named Big Fountain .
The 1982 USGS topographic map shows ruins identifiable as a windmill at Fountain.
Snippet of the U.S. Geological Service topographic map of 1958 featuring Northside A quarter estate # 11, currently named Big Fountain.
The 1958 USGS topographic map shows ruins identifiable as a windmill at Fountain.
Snippet of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic map of 1921 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 11, currently named Big Fountain.
This 1921 USCGS topographic map shows a single windmill at Fountain.
Snippet of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic map of 1920 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 11, currently named Big Fountain.
The 1920 USCGS topographic map shows a single windmill at Fountain with other structures to the south of it on both the sheet with the West End and the 1921 sheet just to the east of that.
Snippet of the Danish Atlantic Islands Association map of 1907 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
The 1907 map indicates a windmill at Bodkins.
Snippet of the Parsons map of 1856 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
Parsons’ 1856 map depicts a windmill near the elevation 980 feet at Bodkin.
Snippet of the Oxholm map of 1799 and the copy by Lang of 1820 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
Oxholm’s 1799 map and its 1820 revision show an atypical structure icon in estate 10a.
Snippet of the Oxholm map of 1799 featuring Northside A quarter estate # 11, currently named Big Fountain.
Oxholm’s 1799 map shows two windmills at Fountain.
Snippets of the Mühlenfels map of 1790 & the Janssen map of 1791 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
The 1790 & 1791 manuscript maps after Beck by Mühlenfels & Janssen, respectively, attribute ownership to Robert Thompson.
Snippet of the Küffner map of 1767 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
Küffner’s 1767 manuscript copy of Beck’s map depicts a settlement in the area of Bodkins.
Snippets of all 5 annotated Beck maps plus the 2 manuscript copies made from 1766 to 1770 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
For the annotated and manuscript copies of the Beck map, none show an animal mill in estate 10. All attribute ownership to Laurence Bodkins, with a variety of spellings.
Snippets of both Beck maps printed in 1754 & circa 1757 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
Neither of the Beck printings depict any sugar machinery.
Snippet of the Cronenberg and von Jaegersberg map of 1750 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
The 1750 map indicates no cultivation and attributes no ownership.
Snippet of the Lapointe map of 1671 featuring Northside A Quarter estate # 10, currently named Bodkins.
During the French period, no settlement is indicated near Bodkins.