Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins

On the day after Christmas, the 5 of us boarded the ferry to St. John. The first thing we did was try to find a place to have some lunch. We went to a restaurant Bob & I have eaten at before, and observed that there were 2 large tables and a few more small tables filled, and, while there was no food on any of the tables, there were unhappy-looking people sitting at them. So, we moved on to another place we've eaten at, but it was closed for a private party. Starting to feel some pressure from time constraints, we walked down the block, and the next place we came to was a Mexican food restaurant. Since we are all pretty much experts on Tex-Mex, we entered it with more than a little apprehension. The first sign that our concern was well-founded was that they charged for chips and salsa! The food wasn't awful :) but I don't think we'll go out of our way to eat there again.

Next, we drove along the north coast, stopping along the way for photo ops and scenic views, most of which I've posted before. We then visited one of St. John's historic parks, the Annaberg Sugar Mill Ruins. They are on a beautiful point of land, and we discovered just how close to the British Virgin Islands we were:

Tortola, BVI - about 1 1/2 miles across the Leinster Bay

There isn't much left of the slaves' quarters:

The mill had both a windmill and a horsemill. While the wooden parts of the windmill are long gone, the stone base remains intact:

The hills above the mill, which appear to have returned to their native state, were terraced and planted with the sugar cane while the mill was in operation:

This is the outside of the sugar factory, and fuel was fed through each of the arches to keep the fires burning under the boiling pots:

In the years since the mill has been in operation, the native plants have apparently tried to return the site to its natural state. Trees have grown in unexpected places, and ferns are growing out of and along many of the walls:

There are signs around the area that describe both the structures and what life was like when the mill was in operation (approx. 1796-1867). I understand that they also have demonstrations and discussions of some of the local culture of the time, but a sign near the entrance announced that these had been suspended until further notice because of the mosquitos. We didn't notice any mosquitos :) but guess we'll have to go again!