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Form No. 10-300 , ^0-'^*^ UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM DATA SHEET RrcE,«D AUG X 51377 SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOWTO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES - COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS I NAME HISTORIC Friedensthal Mission AND/OR COMMON Friedensthal Moravian Church [LOCATION STREET & NUMBER CITY, TOWN Christiansted -NOT FOR PUBLICATION JL VICINITY OF CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 1 STATE TT. S. Virgin Islands CODE 7R St. COUNTY Croix CODE 0200 HcLASSIFI CATION ' CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USE DISTRICT —PUBLIC X OCCUPIED —AGRICULTURE —MUSEUM XIBUILDING(S) X.PRIVATE —UNOCCUPIED —COMMERCIAL —PARK STRUCTURE BOTH —WORK IN PROGRESS EDUCATIONAL —PRIVATE RESIDENCE —SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE ENTERTAINMENT J^RELIGIOUS —OBJECT —IN PROCESS —YES: RESTRICTED —GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC —BEING CONSIDERED X YES: UNRESTRICTED —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION —NO —MILITARY —OTHER: [OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Moravian Mission, Virgin Islands Conference STREETS. NUMBER Box 729 CITY, TOWN Christiansted VICINITY OF St. Croix, U, STATE S. virgin Islands [LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS,ETC. Recordor of Doods STREETS. NUMBER Government House CITY, TOWN (~!hri stiansted. St^iCroix U. S, STATE Virgin Islands a REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS TITLE Virgin Islands Inventory of Historic Places DATE May 6. 197fi —FEDERAL X_STATE —COUNTY —LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY REcoRD^irgin Islands Planning Office CITY, TOWN St. Thomas U. S. Virgin STATE Islands DESCRIPTION CONDITION X.EXCELLENT —GOOD —FAIR —DETERIORATED —RUINS —UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE —UNALTERED —ALTERED CHECK ONE —ORIGINAL SITE —MOVED DATE- DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE Friedensthal, consisting of a manse, church, slave quarter and kitchen, and a 20th century schoolhouse, is located between Christian- sted and Western suburb Road, just west of Christiansted. The manse, built in 1830, is a two and one-half story structure with a Jerkinhead roof and a full depth arcaded gallery along the west side. The walls are constructed of brick (unlike the typical rubble masonry walls used by the Moravians at Nisky and New Hernhut), with vertical board siding in the trapezoidal attic end walls. The roof is now covered with corrugated tin, and has a large, later shed roof dormer in the east side. The upper, or main floor of the building is 6 by 7 bays (46 x 62'6"), with brick flat keystoned arches over the six windows in the end wall, and segmental brick arches, with keystones, over the central five bays of the west facade - the end bays have flat arched openings, shortened to make windows. The six bay east wall has a central door flanked by groups of three windows all of which have flat brick arches. This facade is served by a flight of straight stairs leading to the main entrance at the upper level. The ground floor end wall has six bays, two windows, a door and two more windows followed by a segmental arched opening serving the first level of the arcade. These flat arched ground floor windows are provided with horizontal iron bars and board shutters, hung on wrought iron straps and pintles. This is repeated for the windows on the ground floor in the east and west walls. The attic end walls have four rectangular windows with fixed horizontal louvres. The ten foot deep arcade has brick segmental keyed arches, with molded caps and bases. A double -"welcoming arms" staircase leads to the upper level. There is a five course high watertable surrounding the manse, which sits on a brick and coral block terrace. Panelled brick belt courses delineate the upper and attic floor levels, and a flat wood cornice and rake board is applied to the eaves. All window and door openings are cased in wood and have heavy board shutters with wrought iron straps and pintles. A vaulted, rubble cistern and a two by four bay slave quarters, brick with a gable roof, are located to the south of the manse, with a ten foot by twelve foot cookhouse to the north. The cookhouse is built of brick and coral block, has a shed roof and retains its heavy timber chimney girt and plastered fireplace hood. The church, built in 1852 to replace an earlier one, is a one story, hip-roof structure set on a high foundation which rests on a brick terrace. A single flight of brick stairs, with high parapet walls, leads to a central projecting portico. An octagonal bell tower on a square base rests on the ridge of the triangular pediment of the portico. The 10' deep by 23' wide portico is supported by four round brick columns set on square bases, with square caps and two round molded brick bands decorating the upper sections. Form No 10-300a (Hev 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OE THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY dAUG 151977 RECEIVE! DATE ENTERED AUG 2 5 1978 CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE one 6#^ m The belltower and the pediment, which has a centered round headed opening with a board shutter, are framed with narrow weatherboarding. The spandrels linking the columns are finished with flush siding. The body of the church is three by seven bays, 45' x 74', with a two by three one story flat roofed meeting room addition centered in the rear or south wall. The walls of the church are plastered brick and have tall, narrow openings with splayed jambs, which are divided by muntin bars to form two almost equal sections. The windows are protected with panelled shutters hung on wrought iron straps. The door in the west wall has board shutters, while the central main entrance is provided with a pair of round headed doors, divided approximately two-thirds to one-third, and hung on five sets of strap hinges and pintles. The church has a continuous, low, molded watertable and a panelled brick cornice. The roof is now covered with galvanized corrugated tin. The a sloping east end, galleries brackets. The three octagonal repeated. interior of the church is of the auditorium plan, with gallery on three sides. The altar is placed in the with a choir loft in the west end. The five bay side are supported by slender wood columns with sawn and has a rail of turned balusters with a flat handrail, bay end gallery and the choir loft are supported by columns set on square bases, with the sawn brackets The wood ceiling reflects the form of the hip roof. There is a vaulted, rubble cistern east of the church which has a date block, 1818. The 20th century school, of no/archi­ tectural significance, is situated north of the church. It is not a visual intrusion.^^ -s? . /j f 01 SIGNIFICANCE ■'■'V PERIOD —PREHISTORIC __1400-1499 — 1500-1599 — 1600-1699 X-1700-1799 AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW —1800-1899 —1900- —ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC —ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC —AGRICULTURE ^architecture —ART —COMMERCE —COMMUNICATIONS 1 ■ —COMMUNITY PLANNING —CONSERVATION —ECONOMICS X-EDUCATION —ENGINEERING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE —LAW —LITERATURE X-RELIGION —SCIENCE —SCULPTURE —EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT —INDUSTRY —INVENTION —MILITARY —MUSIC —PHILOSOPHY —POLITICS/GOVERNMENT X-SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN —THEATER —TRANSPORTATION —OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES BUILDER/ARCHITECT STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Friedensthal Moravian, Church is historically significant because it was one of the first Moravian Missions to be established in St. Croix and served an important role in Governor-General Peter von Scholten's program to prepare slaves for freedom. Just three years after the young teacher, Augustus Gottlieb Spangenberg joined the colony in 1733, Count Zinzendorf, leader of the Moravian movement, asked him to conduct 18 missions to the Danish colonies. On St. Thomas, New Herrnhut (1737) and Niesky (1755) were established as plantations and missions by the Moravians. On St. John the Moravians established Bethania (c. 1750) and Emmaus (1782). The Moravians came to St. Croix in 1734 and by the 1800's had two flourishing missions, Friedensfeld and Friedensthal. Friedrich Moth, the founder of the Moravian Missions in the Danish West Indies, sought to make them as self-supportive as possible through the purchase and development of plantations such as New Herrnhut on St. Thomas, Bethany on Srt. John and Friedensthal. By operating their own plantations with slave labor, Moravians ensured themselves of a live­ lihood and potential converts were close at hand to make their pastoral work easier. Friedensthal means "valley of peace" in German. This mission is located on the western limits of Christiansted. The church dates to 1852 when it replaced a smaller church. Its architectural char­ acter, especially the columned portico in front is not typical of Moravian architecture on the island. The parish house, built in 1830 is very characteristic of Moravian parsonages. With its "wel­ coming arms" entrance stairs and gabled roof, it is quite close to Nisky in St. Thomas and Emmaus in St. John in its style. During the 18th century, the desire to abolish slavery was a concern of many in the Danish West Indies. The Moravian missionaries, who had proved their concern for the treatment of slaves, were instrumental in von Scholten's plan to prepare slaves for emancipation. Although the Moravians held active plantations in the Danish West Indies,, and their labor force was supplied by the slaves, the \ EImajor bibliographical references Dookhan, Isaac. A History of the Virgin Islands of the United States. Epping, Essex: Bowker Publishing Company, 1974. Lewisohn, Florence. St. Croix Under Seven Flags. Hollywood, Florida: The Dukane Press, 1970 IDgeographical data ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 5 aCrCS 17* 44' 64* 42' 38'» 38" north latitude west longitude UTM REFERENCES A , 1 1 1 , 1 , , 1 1 , 1 , t . , t bI , 1 1 1 , i t t 1 1 . 1 . 1 . , 1 ZONE EASTING NORTHING cl , 1 1 1 . 1 , , 1 1 , 1 . 1 . . 1 ZONE EASTING LJ. ..J NORTHING 1 1 . 1 . 1 . . 1 I ■4? ■V' VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION The nominated property is located in Estate Fridensthai on the western limits of Christiansted in the Company Quarter of St. Croix. ■ 's . t I LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES STATE N/A CODE COUNTY CODE STATE CODE COUNTY CODE EQform prepared by NAME/TITLE Rti!=;f?el 1 Wri ght, Annir=> Hillsrv .Tune 1977 ORGANIZATION DATE Virgin T^lanriQ Pl^nninrr nf-Fir>fi fpnq) 774-1770 STREETS NUMBER TELEPHONE P n Rr>v ■JfiDF; ' . CITY OR TOWN STATE ,c;-l- Thnmac n c; Estate historic preservation officer certification THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS:’ NATIONAL___ 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 agf^prjjGpdures set forth by the N^ignal Park Service. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE TITLE Director of Planni DATE -5' ^ y FDR NPS USE ONLY \ HEREBY CERIFY THAT THIS PROPERTY IS IT JED IN T,HE NATIONAL REGISTER ATTEST; DATE trvv r\ I iv/ n ' DATE KCiCPER'Df'THi: MATiOMAL nCOIOtiR GPO 892 453 Form No 10-300a (Hev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY RECEIVED DATE ENTERED AUG 151977 AUG 1 5 1978 CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 8 PAGE two fair treatment and sincere desire by the missionaries for slaves to assume responsible positions within the Church improved the relation­ ship between slaves and whites. The Moravian Brethren directed their energies to instruction in both religion and general education. They taught that manual labor, freely undertaken, was not necessarily degrading and that such skills could bring economic security. The mission's example from 1732-1828 provided the foundation upon which emerging colonial social patterns were to be established. Under von Scholten, the missionaries served as teachers and administrators in the Government schools. The Moravians learned Creole and taught English to the slaves. Von Scholten considered them to be the most capable of the religious orders to work with slaves. On August 17, 1877 the islands experienced a hurricane. Brother Bonhoh in a letter gives the following report on damages. "All our walls and fences lay prostrate on the ground and our flourishing fruit-trees appeared either torn up by the roots or stripped of their branches... the rest of our mission premises, including our old dwellings-house, had been spared by a tempest." The Friedenstahl Moravian Church complex is of architectural significance because of the manse, typical of Moravian constR5:^ction and design in all their missions, and the church with its exceptional interior. Form No 10-300a IHev 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF fflSTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NFS USE ONLY RECEIVE AUG 151977 AUG 2 5 1978 DATE ENTERED I. CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 9 PAGE three McGuire, James William. Geographic Dictionary of the Virgin Islands. Special Publication No. 103 (Serial No. 269), United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Department of Commerce. Washington, D. C., 1925 Westergaard, Waldemar Christian. The Danish West Indies Under Company Rule (1671 0 1754), With a Supplementary Chapter, New York, 1917. Maynard, Oliver. A History of the Moravian Church, Eastern West Indies, Province. Trinidad: Yuille's Printerie, 1969. Murphy, Patricia Shaulah. The Moravian Mission to The African Slaves of the Danish West Indies, 1732-1828. Press, 1969. St. Croix: Prestige Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF fflSTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NFS use ONLY RECEIVED JU112 1970 DATE ENTERED A' .. - ^97B CONTINUATION SHEET Fredensthal ITEM NUMBER 10 PAGE Acreage of Nominated Property Verbal Boundary Description 13.6 acres The boundary of the nominated site is that shown outlined in red on the acconpanying map. GPO 892 455 JUL 1 2 1978 J^Su^cp tisrwaJL __ :^uwc. i^jcsrree.— ■i5«T® ^,-cuJp^y!Zld. 7>u^ State Working Number>■ /S. 7 7- /JL^S Cre'.X 7m 2 711 TECHNICAL Photos ^ T L Maps ! CON^^L OK. t /7.7'1 '' HISTORIAN ^ /^/')&7j ~ LA:XnxA^f CM'VCl(Z^lfl£, (ytJiS^LAr'-^ LAj-ilH ddAA.p^ C^0Y2JZ- A^HITECTURAL HISTORIAN /^- o^r> 7 7 ARCHEOLOGIST ChJX ^ /M>«- //4l OTHER L /h'f'<> 'S~ a. e:t-e.s ^ ^r>tA. erf f/~ (-v fx e>tjt af />?<y'2^ ai'cAe'A-c^^^^yt^etf V^3«.«c::€,. (J CfPL^^owl^ /jCAf:pyy 77/-<- —T ri rr^ ^ ^ / /> ^ 'V ;r)>^!—3^ Y-SL—r«-6 'P, 14..C /M'i £ ' tr-y^ cerr 4 HAER pvLh --J-it-??- 7eCx /2,v4*^^s u/1'/' t JfBO Inventory Review ______ REVIEW UNIT CHIEF ^tCMP^tCMtOT 7h ^U*te.H BRANCH CHIEF KEEPER Send-back National Register Write-up Federal Register Entry ff • 7.*7^ Re-submit Entered AUG 25 1973 IN T :2 1 06- 74 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service WASO No. 7 i- •> ENTRIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER STATE VIRGIN ISLANDS Date Entered JUJG 2 5 1978 Name Frledensthal Mission Estate Butler's Bay Also Notified L NR Byers/bjr 9/20/78 Location Chrlstlansted vicinity St. Croix Island Fredrlksted vicinity St. Croix Island State Historic Preservation Officer Mr. Thomas Blake Planning Director Virgin Islands Planning Board Charlotte Amalie St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00801 ■ •“i ’4- T)NAME as it ap]iears on federal register; Friedensthal Mission KATIHU SEtimt mSIOitt ftlSTItitn ' C?tis. ........ -.......................—^ NATIONAL REGISTER DATA SHEET (5: IX' CAi' I i-- •’ t t tv im mljer SW of Christiansted city / town (gjOTHER NAMES; Friedensthal Moravian Church r A f 1"! ' V.I. i r;!' Christiansted county St. Croix fbcYsm I® (I^NPS REGION __Southeast J county code 0200 I OWNER Kpfi.vpt (J.siATE DMUNICIPAL DCOUNTY DMULTirU □ fEDtRAKaeency name)_ i(H)AnM;NisrRATOR; existing surveys DHABS DHAtR aNHl ^funded'> Dyes DNO ©congress. DISTRICI Igt- ;(12)source ni nomination C^JAU nFEOERAL ___________________________________________________________ - ............-------------------------—I III Jll Jll JL — ,— --------------------- ------ ■ -----------lA'Wr--------------------------------------------------------------- T-,-.'..'." ' .................. . ........................... .............« H I . #tll8W KiTiMM «iSrW»S IfclfWAfi!' Si»a I g«l. Holt. (^CONDITION □ excellent □ good □ fair □ deteriorated □ ruins □ unexposed □ unexcavated □ altei-ed □ unaltered □ reconstructed □ excavated □ original site □ moved □unknown iM If stale who prepared form^ □ local □private OREAilZATION @Ceatures; ^□SUBSTANTIALLY INTACT-1 SUBSIANTIALLY INTACT-2 ^ □ SUBSTANTI ALLY I NT A CT • 3 °GN0T INTACT-O !□ NOT INTACT-0 O □ NOT INTACT - O "□UNKNOWN-4 "□ UNKNOWN-5 5^UNKN0WN-6 £DN0T APPDCABLE-7 uiO NOT APPLICABLE-8 SDNOT APPLICABLE-9 (^ACCESS DVES-Restricted □ YES-Unrestricted □ No Access □Unknown @ADAPTIVEUSE □YESDNoJ^ SAVED’ DYES | IS PROPERTY A HISTORIC DISTRICT? □ yes Qno @ AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE : □ ARCHEOLOGY-preliistoric-2 □ COMMERCE-6 □ ARCHEOLOGY - historic -1 □ AGRICULTURE-3 □ ARCHITECTURE-4 □ ART-5 □ COMMUNICATIONS-? □ CONSERVATION-8 □ ECONOMICS-9 □ EOUCATION-IO □ ENGINEERING-II □ ENTERTAINMENT-26 □ EXPLORATION -12 □ HEALTH-27 □ INDUSTRY-13 □ INVENTION-14 □ LANDSCAPE ARCH.- 15 □ LAW- 16 □ LITERATURE-17 □ MILITARY- 18 □ MUSIC- 19 □ PHILOSOPHY-70 □ POLITICS/GOVT.-21 □ RECREATION-28 □ REllGION-22 □SETTLEMEHT-29 □ SCIENCE- 23 DURBAN PLANNING-31 □ SOCIAL/HUMAHITARIAN-24 □ OTHER (SPECIFY) □ SOCIAL/CULTURAL-30 ______________ _ □ TRANSPORTATION-25 'CLAIMS: explain first’□ ‘oldest’ □ ‘only’ □ ^functions WHEN HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT: CURRENTLY: ^dates of initial construetinn: maioi alterations: historic events; ^architectural style(s); ^architect: ^master builder: .ETHNIC GROUP ’ ASSOCIATION ^engineer: ^landscape architect / garden designer; ^interior decorator: ^ artist: partisan; ^builder/contractor: I^NAMES give role &. date '^PERSONAL; EVENTS'. institutional: ^NATIONAL REGISTER WRITE-UP reviswers initials. _dat«. IIP ADDITIONAL SPACE NEEDED. NUM BER & PUT ON REVERSEI