Virgin Islands History Month Answers!
March is Virgin Islands history month and this is an EXTRA special year marking the 175th anniversary of Emancipation in the territory. So – we celebrated with our jam – SHARING HISTORY ! ! !
Here are the answers from this weeks VI HISTORY TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
March 25:
we are standing at which historical site on island when taking this photo?:
ANNABERG
<DOUBLE POINTS>There is a site a little further east of where we are standing with referred to as a GUARDHOUSE -> what was that building’s purpose and what did it oversee that finally gained Federal recognition for recently?
The building served as a watch house for enslaved peoples crossing into the more lenient British Territory. This path, by water, has now gained federal recognition as part of the Underground Railroad.
3/26
Although many pirates have been rumored in bar talk folklore to have called these island home, what were names of some of the real pirates who enjoyed the islands, their cays and the advantageous positions they were afforded physically and with corrupt government leaders.
What pirates haunted and stalked the VI seas?
While this is debatable, and always subject to learning more information – to date – the pirates known to have enjoyed the fruits of the Virgin Islands were: Captain Lloyd, Jean Hamlin, Blackbeard (actual name is thought to be Edward (wait for it….) THATCH!, Captain Kidd, Stede Bonnet, Bartholomew Sharp, Black Sam Bellamy, Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake all get a point here! And of COURSE – PIRATE BILL! (IYKYK) Remember this includes STX – which became a PIRATE REPUBLIC! Come by to check out Stanford Joines’s book, THE EIGHTH FLAG all about the eighth flag who ruled STX – THE DEAD HEAD. Our fav pirates in this motley lineup? Sam Bellamy, Edward Thatch, Bartholomew Sharp and Francis Drake. Want to know why? Come by our shop Pirate’s Cove or join us for a St. John: UNCOVERED trip and we will explain why!
3/27
Todays questions revolve around the St. John Rebellion of Enslaved Peoples. This event/time period is arguably one of the most significant events on island and sparked the fire for many other revolts. It is regarded as a critical and celebrated part of the long road to freedom for Enslaved peoples. (another aspect to learn about – enslaved African Queens – literally getting chills all over as I type of the Rebellion, The Queens and think of all I have learned here – give it all a google)
1. Once the Rebel leaders captured Fort Fredricksvaern, what was the signal used to communicate across St. Jan (Danish at the time) to allied rebels the fort was successfully taken? 2 CANNON SHOTS! (fyi the plural of cannon it just cannon 🙂 – don’t worry – we’ve got your history grammar on lockdown – we have already made the mistakes to get corrected for you in advance)
2. What was the method of communication used by Enslaved peoples on St. Jan to communicate before the rebellion, unbeknownst to their Danish enslavers? DRUMMING.
3. What year did the Rebellion begin and end in? There are some varied reports on this, but the most widely accepted answer is 11/23/1733-Late Summer 1734. The point to remember here – the rebels successfully held the island for EIGHT MONTHS! That is absolutely amazing. We strongly encourage you to specifically research this incredible feat from the early 1700s more and learn all about the Rebellion!
3/28
Todays questions are super fun! We are thrilled to have finally procured a super special book – a record of Reverend Henry Morton’s time in the Virgin Islands in the mid 1843-44. With diary entries to match, Morton sketched what he saw on each of our islands. We are over the moon with the addition of this book into our library and so today we are posting a few of his sketches for you to ID the locations!
3/30
Todays questions are about Hurricane Hole. Hurricane Hole has been known as one of the best anchorages in the Eastern Caribbean dating back hundreds and hundreds of years and perhaps even centuries. It’s been used a long time!
1. What time period does this anchor (found in HH) likely date to? First question is the only one counted! CHOICES: Late 1500s, Mid 1600s, early 1700s, late 1800s, early 1900s?
A: LATE 1800s – we saw some people change answers here – WAY TO RESEARCH YALL ROCK!
2. The cannon buried sticking straight up in Water Creek of Hurricane Hole was used for what purpose?
A: CAREENING or a tie off point for repairs.
3/31
Todays questions center around an incredibly important shipwreck Colin and I worked for years to preserve and still consult on as we work for it’s preservation. This is the oldest shipwreck located to date along the St. John coastline and is in coral harbor. It also swings in the balance of a major marina development. The significance of the shipwreck combined with our efforts and others like VINP Archeologist Ken Wild made for a pretty big splash locally when it finally hit the airwaves.
1. What year did Colin and I (Leah) start working on the shipwreck? 2015 began our official “work” on the project. (What many don’t know is this was wreck bonded us together so so much, and was a huge part of our falling in such a deep committed love with one another that carries true through all of our adventures and trials)
2. What is the ships official unofficial name until the ship can be ID’d?
A; Coral Bay 1 or Coral Bay Shipwreck 1 (anyone know this story of why I suggested this name to Colin?)
3. What were the 5 organizations we worked with in 2021 when it was resurveyed? We actually worked with 6 so you are just fine if you got another of these! It was such an experience to work with these organizations and
- National Geographic
- Diving With a Purpose
- National Association of Black Scuba Divers
- Virgin Islands National Park
- SEARCH
- Society of Black Archeologists
4. What is the suspected Nationality of the wreck?
A: DUTCH! Anyone have any ideas as to why?
Thank you EVERYONE for your awesome involvement and answers! We can’t wait to do this again!
WINNER WILL BE POSTED THIS EVENING – We wanted to draw this mornin but Thatch wasn’t having it!
