Did You Know . . . ?

  • In 1825, the last pirate was hanged at St. Thomas.
  • St. Thomas was a base for blockade runners and privateers sympathetic to the Confederate cause in the Civil War.
  • The U.S. Senate in 1870 rejected a treaty signed with Denmark agreeing to pay $7.5 million for the U.S. Virgins.
  • The U.S. Virgin Islanders celebrate more holidays than anywhere else in the U.S., 23 in all.
  • Charlotte Amalie was named after a queen of Denmark.
  • A Jewish synagogue in Charlotte Amalie is the oldest in the U.S., and still maintains its sand floors.
  • Locally made products from St. Thomas are not taxable.
  • For centuries, St. Thomas had the largest slave auctions in the Caribbean Basin.

In His Footsteps: Camille Pissarro (1830-1903)

The dean of the French Impressionist painters was the most famous resident ever born on the island of St. Thomas. Attracted by the work of Camille Corot and, later, Gustave Courbet, Pissarro moved in a lofty artistic circle of friends that included Monet, Cézanne, and Renoir. He painted landscapes and scenes of rural life, and also some portraits.

  • Birthplace: Danish St. Thomas, July 10, 1830, son of Jewish parents of French/Spanish extraction.
  • Residences: The Pissarro Building, off Main Street in Charlotte Amalie; Paris.
  • Resting Place: Paris.

In Her Footsteps: Anne Bonny (1697-1782)

The most famous woman pirate of the Caribbean teamed up with Calico Jack, and together they became the scourge of the Caribbean Basin until their arrest in 1720 off the coast of Jamaica. Calico Jack was hanged, but Anne, pregnant, approached the bench and said, "Milord, I plead with my belly." The judge ordered a stay of execution.

  • Birthplace: Cork, Ireland, daughter of a prominent attorney and his wife's maid.
  • Residences: Various pirate ships throughout the Caribbean; Charlotte Amalie. (She went there originally to slit the throat of her runaway first husband, a ne'er-do-well sailor whom she murdered in a brothel.)
  • Resting Place: South Carolina.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.