CRUZ BAY — In honor of Virgin Islands History Month, Government House highlighted the Annaberg Planation on St. John. The Annaberg Plantation is one of the many St. John’s plantations.
“It is our duty to acknowledge the horrific trials and tribulations our African and Virgin Island ancestors endured on the plantations during these times, Government House said.
Annaberg Plantation, as of 1780, was one of the active sugar-producing factories on St. John. Other products produced at the plantation were molasses and rum.
Enslaved African labor was used to clear densely forested hillsides and to terrace the slopes around Annaberg to make it run. This very same slave labor was also used to plant, harvest, and process sugarcane. When slavery was abolished, plantations were divided.
“Let us take this time to reflect on these monuments and cultural resources which are a testament that our people triumphed in the face of adversity,” Government House said. “Our enslaved African and Indigenous people built these structures that still stand today.”