Estate Campo Rico

The estate now known as Campo Rico appears to have been settled in the French period by Peron. This previous settlement may have facilitated the establishment of sugar cultivation and an animal mill in the northern half of the estate by 1750.

Both of the Beck printed maps of the 1750s include an animal mill in the north center of the estate. The annotated Beck maps and the manuscript copies of the 1760s all have an animal mill and attribute ownership to Cornel. Hendriksen, with a variety of spellings.

The 1778 Oxholm map of Frederiksted includes the Campo Rico estate, depicting a windmill in the west center of the estate, with an animal mill and other structures to the west including a slave village. Other structures are located to the north and east of the windmill. Like the annotated Beck maps, this map and the 1790s manuscript copies of Beck attribute ownership to Major Hendricksen, again with various spellings.

The 1799 Oxholm map includes a windmill in the west center of estate West End. The 1856 Parsons map indicates a windmill in a similar location at Campo Rico.

The 1920s topographic map locates the Camporico Mill at 57 feet elevation, along with other structures consistent with the 1778 map. The 1958 and 1982 topographic maps indicate a tower at the location of the windmill at Campo Rico located through field reconnaissance.

As the McGuire geographic dictionary of the Virgin Islands (p. 46) describes, sugar cane was in cultivated in the 1920s and a mill specifically located 2/3 mile from the coast and 1.5 miles southeast of Frederiksted.

Photos of Campo Rico, 2020s

Campo Rico windmill exterior from the west featuring the main entrance.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the west featuring the main entrance. The exterior stone is slightly larger than bricks, somewhat unusual for St. Croix windmills. The exterior stones around the top of the arch appear to have been removed, preventing understanding of any inscription on the keystone, if any. Given the collapsed nature of the stones leading up to the main entrance, use of a ramp or stairs to access the working floor is unclear.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the southwest with a close up of the main entrance.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the southwest with a close up of the main entrance. While the exterior stones were removed, the stones lining the opening remain, along with the pink tint to the plaster remaining. When in operation, the mill would have been coated with plaster to protect the masonry.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the southeast featuring the timber slots.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the southeast featuring the timber slots. These spaces were filled with other material. The rim at the foundation is very typical of especially older windmills on St. Croix. In this case, a row of bricks lines the top of this foundational rim that is made with larger stones than the facing of the mill cone exterior.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the northwest featuring the bagasse opening.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the northwest featuring the bagasse opening. The limestone blocks initially decorating the exterior and lining the interior appear to have been replaced by bricks. The stones at the bottom of the opening appear to have been part of a renovation of the bagasse opening. The floor of the bagasse opening slopes outward to facilitate the bagasse removal from the windmill.
Campo Rico windmill interior facing northwest featuring the bagasse opening.
Campo Rico windmill interior facing northwest featuring the bagasse opening. Material lining the top of the opening was removed. The floor of this opening even though it has been modified, clearly slopes outward to facilitate the removal of the crushed cane from the mill.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the south featuring the juice trough opening.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the south featuring the juice trough opening. To the left, the earthen foundation would help carts bring sugar cane into the windmill. The juice would flow in a trough through this opening downhill to the boiling house, which would be roughly in the direction of the viewer. The limestone blocks decorating the exterior of this opening match the machine slot and main opening.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the south featuring the juice trough opening.
Campo Rico windmill exterior from the south featuring the juice trough opening. To the left, the earthen foundation would help carts bring sugar cane into the windmill. The juice would flow in a trough through this opening downhill to the boiling house, which would be roughly in the direction of the viewer. The limestone blocks decorating the exterior of this opening match the machine slot and main opening.
Campo Rico windmill interior facing north featuring the floor.
Campo Rico windmill interior facing northwest featuring the bagasse opening.
Campo Rico windmill interior looking upward.
Campo Rico windmill interior looking upward. The large concrete box on top of the windmill may have been used to store water, being added after the mill was decommissioned. The upper part of the mill was modified to fill in the slots where the timbers would have supported the mill’s top rim. None of the reinforced concrete is original to the mill.

Historic Maps of Campo Rico

Snippet of the U.S. Geological Service topographic map 1982 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The 1982 photorevision shows increasing development on the west side of Estate Camporico.
Snippet of the U.S. Geological Service topographic map of 1958featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The 1958 USGS topographic map shows a tower in the same general location as the windmill from the 1920 map. Other structures lie to the west, east, and north. On this map snippet, the estate is on the right two-thirds of the map, with the left 1/3 included to show the name.
Snippet of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey topographic map of 1920 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The 1920 USGS topographic map shows the Camporico mill at 57 feet above sea level. Structures exist to the north and west of the windmill.
Snippet of the Danish Atlantic Islands Association map of 1907 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The 1907 map indicates a windmill ruin at Estate Camporico.
Snippet of the Parsons map of 1856 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
Parsons’ 1856 map depicts a windmill on the west side of Estate Camporico, with structures to the north and west of the mill.
Snippet of the Oxholm map of 1799 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
Oxholm’s 1799 map shows a windmill lies on the west side of Estate West End.
Snippets of the Mühlenfels map of 1790 & the Janssen map of 1791 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The 1790 & 1791 manuscript maps after Beck by Mühlenfels & Janssen attribute ownership to Hendricksen.
Snippet of the Oxholm map of Frederiksted from 1778 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
Oxholm’s 1778 map of Frederiksted shows a windmill and an animal mill on the western side of the estate, just south of center (north is to the left on this map). A slave village lies to the west of the other structures. Ownership attributed to Major Hendriksen.
Snippet of the Küffner map of 1767 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
Küffner’s 1767 Beck replica includes a sugar mill in the area of Estate Camporico.
Snippet of the Zöllner manuscript copy of Beck from 1766 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The clarity is poor of this portion Zöllner’s 1766 manuscript copy of Beck’s map. However, an animal mill appears to be depicted in the northern part of the estate.
Snippet of the 1766 unsigned Beck manuscript copy featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The 1766 unsigned manuscript copy of Beck’s map depicts an animal mill with ownership attributed to Cornel Hendriksen.
Snippets of the 5 annotated Beck maps made from 1766 to 1770 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
The 1766, 1767, c.1767, 1770, and c.1770 annotated Beck maps illustrate an animal mill with ownership attributed to Cornel Hendriksen. The name underlined in red on the 1770 map indicates a sugar plantation.
Snippet of the Beck map printed in 1754 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
In the 1750s, the first and second printings of the Beck map show an animal mill in the northern portion of the estate.
Snippet of the Beck map printed in 1754 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
In the 1750s, the first Beck map shows an animal mill in the northern portion of the estate.
Snippet of the Cronenberg and von Jaegersberg map of 1750 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
By 1749, sugar was planted in the estate, evidenced by the yellow coloring. In the northern portion of the estate, two structures, likely a plantation house and a sugar factory, are shown with red roofs with an animal mill between them. To the southwest of these structures is a slave village. Ownership is attributed to Cornel Hendrickson.
Snippet of the Lapointe map of 1671 featuring West End Quarter estate # 5, currently named Campo Rico.
During the French period, ownership in the Campo Rico area is attributed to Peron.