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Form No. 10-300 , UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM mi Pi ^RNPSUSEONLY DATE ENTERED -r ^ ^ SEPl m SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOWTO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES - COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS I NAME HISTORIC Fortsberg AND/OR COMMON Frederiksvaern I LOCATION STREET & NUMBER ! >-■'tC C. -<,1 ■ n f —NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY, TOWN Coral Bay X_ VICINITY OF CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1 STATE U.S. virgin Islands CODE 78 COUNTY St. John CODE 0700 CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY —DISTRICT —dUILDING(S) JSSTRUCTURE —SITE —OBJECT OWNERSHIP —PUBLIC ^PRIVATE —BOTH PUBLIC ACQUISITION —IN PROCESS X^BEING CONSIDERED STATUS —OCCUPIED JLunoccupied —WORK IN PROGRESS ACCESSIBLE X-YES: RESTRICTED —YES; UNRESTRICTED —NO PRESENT USE XjvgRICULTURE —MUSEUM —COMMERCIAL —PARK —EDUCATIONAL —PRIVATE RESIDENCE —ENTERTAINMENT —RELIGIOUS —GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION —MILITARY —OTHER: lOWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Mr. Fred 0. Samuel STREETS. NUMBER CITY. TOWN Cruz Bay, St. John VICINITY OF STATE U.S. Virgin Islands LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS.ETC. Recorder of Deeds STREETS. NUMBER No. 18 Kongens Gade CITY, TOWN STATE Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands a REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE Historic American Building Survey DATE 1960 X_FEDERAL —STATE —COUNTY —LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS National Park Service CITY, TOWN Washington STATE D.C. DESCRIPTION CONDITION —EXCELLENT —GOOD —FAIR -DETERIORATED 3LRUINS —UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE X_UNALTERED —ALTERED CHECK ONE X_ORIGINALSITE —MOVED DATE- DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The ruins of Fortsberg, a typical 18th century citadel fortress, are located on the summit of a high hill commanding Coral Bay. Built over the ruins of an earlier breastwork completed in 1723, the pre­ sent fort is a 120' by 60' rectangle with bastions at the salient angles. Laid out with the long sides on a southwest-northeast axis, the fort is one story in height with rubble masonry foundation and curtain walls, with brick linings at the door and window openings and at the corners. The curtains are battered on the exterior face and vary from 14 to 22 feet in height, due to the irregular terrain. The fort is entered through a sally-port in the southwest curtain. The door has a flattened pointed arch and is flanked by narrow win­ dows now bricked in. There are also arched window openings in the north ends of both the northwest and southeast curtains, and an open­ ing centered in the northeast wall, all of which are brick lined. No traces of the windows or the entrance door remain. Also, no roof structure remains in-situ, but there are indications that the bastions had flat, brick roofs resting on a wooded frame. The south and west bastions were divided into two and three rooms respectively. A rectangular structure measuring 18 by 30 feet is located in the center of the court, built on an elevated rubble platform. This structure has a door in the southwest end wall and is served by a short run of masonry steps, which remain. The walls are rubble masonry, two feet thick, to a point approximating window sill height, with the upper part being of half tiinbered construction. There is no evidence of the original roof structure or form. An enclosed staircase in the southeast corner of the fort connects the court level with a continuous walkway along the curtains and the gun decks over the corner bastions. The staircase, built against the curtain wall, is brick with brick supporting arches, and encloses a small vaulted cell under the top landing. There also exists the ruins of a foundation for an unidentified structure 50 feet west of the entrance to the fort. The Water Battery Ruins of a supporting shore battery are located on a hill approximately 1000 feet southeast of the fort. A trapezoid in plan, three of the five foot thick, six foot six inch high rubble curtains remain, enclosing a space of approximately 37 by 54 feet. The interior of the battery is heavily overgrown with vegetation, but the three foot ten inch parapet wall with a continuous gun deck and seven embrasures are clearly visible. Five cannon, without their carriages, remain inside the battery. Form No 1i>-300a (fiev 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OE THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER FOR NPSUSE ONLY RECEIVED ^ 1976 DATE ENTERED SEP 1 1978 ^3 page one E Conservation and Cultural Affairs has held internal discussions leading to a decision on the acquisition of all or a part of Fortsberg as an historic park. If acquired the Government would restore the structures where possible, stabilize the ruins and conduct a program of historic interpretation. i- ^ ■ Form No. If)-300a lAev 10-74) UNITtD STATES DEPARTMENT OK THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED JON 2 1976 DATE ENTERED SEP 1 1976 CONTI NU ATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE two L U.S. virgin Islands Inventory of Historic Places May 1976 x State Virgin Islands Planning Office Charlotte Amalie U.S.V.I. \m SIGNIFICANCE ' * ■■ P -•' ■-/•' • PERIOD —PREHISTORIC —1400-1499 —1500-1599 —1600-1699 X_1700-1 799 —1800-1899 —1900- AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW —ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC —ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC —AGRICULTURE XJVRCHITECTURE —ART —COMMERCE —COMMUNICATIONS —COMMUNITY PLANNING —CONSERVATION —ECONOMICS —EDUCATION —ENGINEERING —EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT —LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE —LAW —LITERATURE —RELIGION —SCIENCE —SCULPTURE —INDUSTRY __INVENTION ^-MILITARY —MUSIC —PHILOSOPHY —POLITICS/GOVERNMENT -SOCIAIVHUMANITARIAN —THEATER —TRANSPORTATION —OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES BUILDER/ARCHITECT STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The first fort, a stone breastwork, was constructed in 1717 as settlers moved to Coral Bay from nearby St. Thomas, under the aegis of the Danish West India and Guinea Company which laid out its first plantation, Carolina, nearby. The fort is shown on a 1720 map of Coral Bay. It was here that a successful rebellion was mounted on November 23, 1733. Slaves seized the fort, massacred the garrison and occupied most of the plantations of St. John. The plantation owners fled to Mr. Durlo's plantation, now Caneel Bay, which was fortified and successfully defended. Two attempts by the Danes to supress the rebellion were unsuccessful. Finally aid was secured from the Governor of Martinique. Four hundred French soldiers encamped near Fortsberg and the rebellion was suppressed after a campaign of six months. Fortsberg was rebuilt by 1760 into its present rectangular form with high walls, four bastions and gun decks. During the Napoleonic Wars the fort and adjacent "English Battery" were occupied by the British in 1801 and from 1807 until 1815. .. -4 • OmAJORBIBUOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES Sli Docakhan, Issac. A History of VIEGIN ISLANDS of the UNITED STATES, Eppinq, Essex; ; BoM^ Publishing Canp^y, 1974. | Knox, John P. A Historical Acoount of St. Thcmasy W.I. St. ThonaSy W.I. Nevr York; Charles Scribner, 1852. Van Keulen Map, 1719 May of 1720, Atteiguing paa Ey landet St. Jans havn... Qadiolin May, 1780 POINT I0GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY. UTM REFERENCES 101 acres. A B C DE 18° 18° 180 180 20' 20' 20' 20' 20' 58" 49" 36" 28" 51" N-64X N- 640 N- 640 N- 640 N- 640 42' 42' 42' 42' 42' 20" 08" 11" 32" 35" J I I ■ I . . I \ , [ f \ ZONE EASTING cLU I I ■ I ■ t NORTHING I ■ I . I bLJ I I ■ i . ^ I I ■ i ■ I . M ZONE EASTING NORTHING ZONE dLJ EASTIN I . I 1 I I I ww w ww VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION The eastern boundary of Fortsberg Historic District starts at point "A" on Popilleau B^, 600' east of East End Road and extends 1400' southeast following the mean hi^ water mark to point "B". From this point it continues south 1,250' along the mean high water to point "C" turning southwest 2,150' to point ”D" and. then north 2,400 to point "E". Ohe line crosses the base of the Fortsberg peninsula running northeast from point "E", 1,400 to the beginning point of the boundary. LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE IQform prepared by NAME/TITLE Thomss R. Richards Russell Wright, Annie Hillary, Margaret Proskauer, V.I. Historic Survey ORGANIZATION- Virgin Islands Planning Office DATE May 17, 1976 STREETS NUMBER P.O. Box 2606 TELEPHONE (809) 774-1730 CITY OR TOWN STATE Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00801 Estate historic preservation officer certification THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS; NATIONAL _X_ STATE____ LOCAL As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665). I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE i'tle Director of Planning FDR NPS USE ONLY / : . iS-- ■ -p—■ I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS INCU ■S fl PC DATE May 25, 1976 AcH^jmECTOR.OFJ DIN THE NATIONAL REGISTER . DATE )^CtOF ARCHEO^GY HUSTQflIC P^St O ihSTQflIC PRESbRVATION Act I DATE ^ KEEPER OFTHENATIONAL REGISTER F-«7-ZC GPO 892-453 Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OE THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF fflSTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED 1 A ® RUG DATE ENTERED mi m CONTI NU ATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER #8 PAGE one On-site inspections suggest that archeological investigation will probably add to our knowledge of the character of the earlier (pre-l800) fortifications on the site, as well as of associations with the St. John’s slave rebellion of 1833 and the British occupation during the Napoleonic Wars. state Working Number S^' jAo ■^OOQ^ TECHNICAL Photos___ =2_ Maps J- f/H CON^g^ HISTORIAN 7)cc^r/7', iKMAlifWMMK. l|Ux uuv» mirvimcl* "tKiM w no ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIAN timw|l curt»uRt>ttjdJ w^Ai6c«ncfc - nt »| fict4»- «£l\5 bw»anrta wiwi «»*. ^poRna on^i'nal -fort- ^ ^ Wrwfwivltn ot aurtKie)*^‘c«l auiuiJj i* «'•*«■»» cwonuHru a* ® ^ •fti. Hnotw^ioenUt p«qF*w>-ao t»i oajmJ-ftdki-W r^ninMillumMfat X'innoi' rtaU^ s>rt oJ^ALf Rw. tuuiuiaMjo t-iVitA ju*h'(<raii'ma {£, Me/vJTtOM ^Ip A«2<rHe6c-06(C/^L- 7<DTeTMTM u Or li-*£ K’LVA^ A^JD '■rtt Ir 6-f^OWOS . \ ________________________(XrCCe^ P- ___________________ ARCHEOLOGI; OTHER HAER Inventory Review REVIEW UNIT CHIEF djOl^ GM(76 BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER National Register Write-up __________ Send-back Federal Register Entry Re-submit Entered SEP 1 IN T :2 1 os- 74 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 '■i ^ ;/:■ ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE VISniN I^:T,iVTDS SEP 1 1975 Date Entered Name Location Upper Salt rdvar Archeological District FortBbarg Hull Bay Archeological Sites Christiansted vicinity St* Croix Island Coral Bay vicinity St* John Island ■ Also Notified Hon. lion de Lugo Regional Director, Southeast Region Clmrlotte Acialle vicinity St. Thoaas Island li i • . MMott/row 9/3/7J State Historic Preservation Officer l-Ir, Thomas Blake , Planning Director Virgin Islands Planning Board Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00801 INT: 2050..75 HR Data Sheet DATE, tbOt Reviewer INITIAl^: NAMEj^s IT APPEARS IN FEDERAL PIXIISTER: OTHER KAlTSs ^----- -------- dorr's Er?J t/iiks va s: ,Cr<y «A,/C> L 1976 CONCmSiWUNAL DISTRICT LOCATIONjX^ '.TOWN " „ . ____, VIOHITYC^^^^I OWNER OFPROPERTY- ; UO UWIM.K ui- IK UPLRTY. (Circle) ^P^VATE >ATE LOCAiGOVT MUNICIPAL COUNTY OTHER OTV.TOWN tTATl ) ADMIMISTRATOR(underline)- PHSERAL(AGENCY NAME): HPS REGION: (CIRCLE) N.ATIANTIC MID ATLANTIC ^^^^raMST^ MIDVffiST SOOTHt-JEST ROCKY MOUNTAIN I-JEST PACIFIC NORTffiffiST FEATURES: r- ■ j--TTi:RICR EXTFPIOP, Et"/Tpo»'S »Substantially intact-1 ^Substantially intact-2 F^'^antiallv intact-3 _unJcnown-4 _ unknown .-5 unknown -6 X ^ - 8 appli cafcle-9 ^ -Interior, exterior, environs not lntact-0 .Unaltered ^^original site CONDITION - —excellent —DETERIORATED -GOOD ^^UINS —UNEXPOSED —T?nexcavate>4 ACCESS- ■ yes-unrestricted No access —ALTERED —MOVED -Reconstructed —Unknown —Excavated historic'^aistrict ? Unknown NO WITHIN NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT? IP YES, KAl!Es WITHIN NATIONAL HISTORIC LAITOMARK? IP YES, NAME; ADAPTIVE use; NO Saved ? ies FUNCTION (S); (use iTOcabulary words) then- Pq no now- /:^(3i^\ca lTu^^ significance: —arcmeolugvprehistoric I ^RCHEOLOOV-MISTORIC -AGRICULTURE / Architecture ^ -ART —COMMERCE —COMMUNICATIONS Claims —CONSERVATION —ECONOMICS —EDUCATION —ENGINEERING -EXPLORATION —INDUSTRY —INVENTION —UNOSCAPE ARCHITECTURE —RELIGION —Uw/(i,v'c/politlcS —SCIENCE ^J^TERATURE ^lUTARY —MUSIC —PHILOSOPHY —POUTICS/GOVERNMENT —SOCML/HUMANIYARIAN —TRANSPORIAIION —OTHER (SPEOPYI —enCertainmenC __health —recreation —settlement —soclo/cultural —urban & comniun planning ’•first*-* YES NO ’’oldest*-* YES '*Only’J YES NO ■ I architectural style; architec(/m.builder; landscapc/ijardon designer: interior decorator; engineer: artist/artisan: bui Ider/contraolor; ethnic group: names; (label role & appropriate date) personal SYcnt^ iJcky^pol ^ So/ institutional dates; date of construction (specific date or 1/4 of century): ) ^7 ^CJ DATE(S) OF "MAJOR" ALTERATIONS: HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT DATE(S) : \ source: 0 33 sU^t (OF NOMINATION) OTHER PRIVATE STATE LOCAL GOV"T MUNICIPAL COUNTY FEDERAL 'AGENCY: acreage; (to nearest tenth of an acre) loi. COMMENTS; (include architectural information here) Scn(v\x ' Ow iby) Q^rutP fiw *—rT^ Owe SIGNIL 1CANCE»(maximum tw^sentences) V~* ^ ^9“^ oOv<W/.A ^ ARCIllTECTLJKAL STYLE.’ archilec(/m.builder: landscapc/garden designer; interior decorator: engineer; artist/artisan: builder/contractor; ethnic gkoup: names; (label role & appropriate date) personal institutional hj,:^ - Sol / dates; date of CONSTECJCTIOM (Specific date or 1/4 of century): £' DATE(S) OF "MAJOR" ALTERATIONS: HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT DATE (S) : \ Qon-RrE* ^ (OF NOMINATION) STATE LOCAL GOV'T MUNICIP.AL COUNTY acreage; OTHER FEDERAL 'AGENCY: (to nearest tenth of an acre) lOj. COMMENTS, (include architectural information here) ii-j.Liis 01 Taoble ■''ore' ^eet&n'~iiT;’TN ^ ^ “ ■ ■ ^ ei/idence of flet brick roofs .' >\ 0-: .sstlon,, sall^ort Ir, oj o,nal:a, o^nlevm oper.ln. 1,. s.. -,aH, e.=Ioa.P to ctn-t.in -..i;*,,; a 8-=-.o:.rth ,lave -ebellion i/;733^, oCO^ 1 ^ otyoo,.* S S?avT 'Ti^-^ ' •