Vintage St. John

Description

Just Released: February 2020. Vintage St. John allows you to discover the history of St. John through the stories of 7 generations in this historical family memoir written by Valerie Sims.  Over 200 rare photos are included.

Peek into St. John’s past. When a prominent St. Thomas merchant accumulates 2,500 acres on the island of St. John to raise cattle and cultivate bay leaves, he has no idea that his generation will be the last to farm the land. During the 1920s to the 1950s, Herman O. Creque’s hard work pays off on his estates of Annaberg, Mary’s Point, and Lamesure, but at the peak of their profitability, he dies, leaving them all to his wife, Emily.

Summer Fun at Francis Bay: Francis Bay is their children’s favorite, with almost thirty years of summer memories, fishing, hunting, and crabbing. One day, the beach and summer cottage will be theirs, or so they believe.

Laurance Rockefeller and Frank Stick: When two conservationists from the United States visit the island in 1952, they find the unspoiled nature of Emily’s lands enchanting and wish to preserve them for the “enjoyment of the nation.” Little do Emily’s children suspect that life as they know it is about to change forever, and the unthinkable will tear their family apart.

The Virgin Islands National Park: Vintage St. John is a collection of their heartfelt memories, woven together from personal interviews. They paint a vivid picture of life before the establishment of the Virgin Islands National Park and life shortly after. Soft cover, 343 pages. Released February 2020. Signed copy.