Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Each room has some outstanding furnishings. In the salon,
the desk was made of Cruzan wood in Denmark and the
chandeliers once hung in Frederiksted's Lutheran Church.
The four-poster bed once belonged to an island governor and
the planter's box in the bedroom is the forerunner of an
attaché case.
U
The 1685 oak wainscott chair in
the foyer entrance is the only origi-
nal piece left in the house. It was
found in storage in the basement.
Beyond the Great House is the tiny
bath house
, which had
a wooden floor, and the toilets were located downwind, on
the western side. Next to that is the
museum
, with a rotat-
ing collection of memorabilia and artifacts of the era. The
smithie shop and tools used by the slaves to plant and har-
vest the cane make interesting exhibits.
The
cookhouse
is extremely interesting, since it contains
utensils used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Note
the water purifier and the ovens, which could roast, bake
and boil all at the same time.
Apothecary Hall
, with an in-
tact collection of over 250 bottles and jars and original
equipment, was a recent gift to Whim.
Continue along the path to the cane field where you'll see an
1856 steam engine
and set of crushers. It was brought to
St. Croix from Scotland. The
animal mill
was operated by
harnessing oxen, mules or horses to the poles and leading
them around in circles as slaves fed cane beneath the rollers.
The
windmill
was added later. It was bought in Nevis and
reconstructed here when not a single working windmill
stood on St. Croix.
The St. Croix Landmarks Society hopes to eventually raise
enough money to rebuild the factory where the juices were
boiled down into molasses to make sugar. You can help by
buying gift items at the
gift shop
in the Great House. An at-
tractive store, it sells reproductions of items used in the colo-
nial period and souvenirs as well. Whim Great House is open
