Rattan and Belvedere includes estates 14 & 15 in St. Croix’s Queen’s Quarter, each of which had a windmill. Based on appearances on historic maps, both windmills were likely built in the 1760s. The windmill in estate 15 was blocked to store water after decommissioning & is in good condition. The windmill in estate 14 has not been located.
Windmills were located on some maps at two different locations in estates 14 & 15, which have become Rattan and Belvedere. The 1750 map indicates sugar cultivation but no animal mill in both estates 14 & 15. Both Beck printings show an animal mill icon in estate 14, while the first Beck printing had an animal mill and the second changed it to a windmill in estate 15. The maps from the 1760s and 1770s added sails to the animal mill to depict a windmill in both estates 14 and 15.
The 1799 Oxholm map shows a windmill in both estates 14 and 15. The 1856 Parsons map depicts no structures in the area of estate 14 and a windmill at elevation 475 feet for estate 15. The 1919 topographic sheet identifies a potential windmill location as No. 2 in estate 14, although field reconnaissance found a water tower at this location. The later topographic maps show no ruins identifiable as a windmill in that area. All the 20th-century topographic maps show a structure identifiable as a windmill at Rattan and Belvedere estate 15.
The 1750 map attributes ownership of estate 14 to Alexander and estate 15 to Janny Deyer.
The maps from the 1760s and 1770s attribute ownership of estate 14 to Charles Atkins. For estate 15, the maps from the 1760s attribute ownership to Justice Raad Schuster and in 1770 to George Akins. By 1790 ownership of both estates 14 & 15 transitioned to George Aitken.
McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p.155) notes for Estate Rattan the location of an estatehouse and mill on southwest end of ridge rising to 550 feet. McGuire provides no entry for Belvedere in Queen’s Quarter.