Estate Mary’s Fancy

Mary’s Fancy is estate 17 in St. Croix’s Queen’s Quarter. Based on appearances on historic maps, the windmill was likely built in the 1760s. The windmill was blocked to store water after decommissioning. The windmill tower is partly collapsed.

The 1750 map indicates sugar cultivation and an animal mill in estate 17. Both Beck printings show an animal mill icon in the center of estate 17. The annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies add sails to the animal mill to depict a windmill in the 1760s and 1770s.

The 1799 Oxholm map and the 1856 Parsons map show a windmill at Mary’s Fancy. None of the 20th-century topographic maps shows structures identifiable as a windmill at Mary’s Fancy.

The 1750 map attributes ownership to Niels Brown. The 1760s maps attribute ownership to William Davis. By 1770, ownership transitioned to De Nully, remaining so through 1791.

McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.127) locates buildings along road following crest of last spur.

Photos of Mary’s Fancy, 2020s

Truncated windmill tower with various finishes on the surface.
Mary’s Fancy windmill exterior from the west featuring the main entrance. Notice the top of the mill collapsed enough to eliminate the top of the arch. The opening is blocked with cut stones while the area below that is rubble, perhaps indicating a ramp was used to access the main entrance that was later dismantled.
Truncated windmill tower with an arched opening filled with rubble for when the tower was blocked to store water.
Mary’s Fancy windmill exterior from the southeast featuring the juice trough opening. The row of light-colored cut stones separating the rubble fill indicates the location of the work floor, with the foundation beneath that and tower above.
Plastered cistern without a cover and plants growing inside it. The mill tower edge visible on the right. Hillsides visible in the distance.
Mary’s Fancy windmill exterior facing southwest featuring a cistern outside the juice trough opening.
Truncated windmill tower with very regular rows of cut stone block. A ladder is perched against the side of the tower on the right side, reaching nearly to the top.
Mary’s Fancy windmill exterior from the east featuring the construction material. The foundation below the heavy line of plaster denoting the transition to the tower has a similar cut stone block with right angle corners on the outside as does the tower.
Windmill tower with the machine slot centered and bagasse opening on the right. A stone wall goes along the right side of the picture before intersecting with the tower. Grass grows through plastered pavement in the foreground.
Mary’s Fancy windmill exterior from the north featuring the machine slot. The stone wall on the right was part of a water capture system to fill the tower with water.
Truncated windmill tower with the narrow machine slot centered without reaching to the arch due to material collapse. The arched bagasse opening to the right is filled with stone as is the machine slot, since the tower was converted to store water.
Mary’s Fancy windmill exterior from the north featuring the machine slot. Given the collapse of the top of the tower, the arch of the opening no longer exists. Notice how the construction material for the foundation and tower are very similar, while the material blocking the opening varies only slightly. The bagasse opening is to the right and has the arch intact.
Paved area about 100 feet square and bordered on the left and far side by a low stone wall. Grass grows through portions of the pavement with trees along the edges.
Mary’s Fancy windmill exterior facing north featuring the paved area adjoining the tower, used to funnel rainwater to water storage.

Historic Maps of Mary’s Fancy

the U.S. Geological Service topographic maps of 1958 & 1982 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
The 1958 and 1982 photorevision of the USGS topographic map show no ruins identifiable as a windmill at Mary’s Fancy.
Snippet of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic map of 1920 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
The 1921 USCGS topographic sheet shows no structures identifiable as a windmill at Mary’s Fancy.
Snippet of the Danish Atlantic Islands Association map of 1907 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
The 1907 map identifies an estate at Mary’s Fancy.
Snippet of the Parsons map of 1856 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
Parsons’ 1856 map depicts a windmill on a ridge at Mary’s Fancy.
Snippet of the Oxholm map of 1799 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
Oxholm’s 1799 map shows a windmill on a ridge in the west side of Mary’s fancy.
Snippets of the Mühlenfels map of 1790 & the Janssen map of 1791 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
The 1790 & 1791 manuscript maps after Beck by Mühlenfels & Janssen attribute ownership of estate 17 to De Nully.
Snippet of the Küffner map of 1767 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
The 1767 Küffner manuscript copy of Beck’s map depicts a settlement but no sugar mill and attributes no ownership in the area of Mary’s Fancy.
Snippets of all 5 annotated Beck maps plus the 2 manuscript copies made from 1766 to 1770 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
All the annotated Beck maps and manuscript copies depict a windmill in estate 17, except the 1770 annotated map that only added ownership attributions. The maps attributed ownership to William Davis, except the 1770 and c.1770 annotated maps that attributed ownership to Major De Nully.
Snippets of both Beck maps printed in 1754 & circa 1757 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
Both Beck printings show an animal mill icon in the center of estate 17.
Snippet of the Cronenberg and von Jaegersberg map of 1750 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
The 1750 map by Cronenberg and von Jægersberg indicates sugar cultivation and structures including an animal mill in estate 17. Ownership attributed to Niels Brown.
Snippet of the Lapointe map of 1671 featuring Queen's Quarter estate # 17, currently named Mary's Fancy.
During the French period, no settlement is indicated near Mary’s Fancy.