Estate Mannings Bay
Mannings Bay is estate 49 in St. Croix’s Prince’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the windmill was likely built in the 1760s. The windmill was likely demolished to make room for new construction associated with the airport. Field reconnaissance failed to locate ruins identifiable as a windmill.
Sugar cultivation came relatively early to estate Mannings Bay, with the 1750 map indicating sugar cultivation and an animal mill. While the printed Beck maps do not include sugar mill icons, the later annotated versions and manuscript copies added a windmill.
The 1799 Oxholm map included a windmill. The 1856 map included a windmill along with two towers without sails on the estate. The 1921 topographic sheet located an old mill tower at elevation 45 feet. However, the later USGS topographic maps indicated no ruins at Manning.
The 1750 map attributed ownership to Lorentz Nissen. All the Beck variant maps from 1766-1791 attribute ownership to William Manning.
McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.124) note an old mill tower and settlement, 1,800 yards from shore along with a steel-frame windmill.
Historic Maps of Mannings Bay
