| Castle
Nugent is one of the 264 cotton and sugar plantations that were formed
on the island of St. Croix after 1733 when the Danish West Indies Company
purchased the island from France.
The
guest house on the farm is an historical "overseers" house
built early in the 18th century. It is now listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. It's white stuccoed walls, tin roof
and sturdy green wooden shutters with wrought iron hinges are all signatures
of 18th and 19th century Colonial architecture, when fortunes were made
on this island from sugar. Castle Nugent today is a cattle farm,
but the old buildings have remained virtually the same.
Other buildings
on the site include the remains of a cotton storage house, a small chapel
and slave quarters for the 15 - 20 slaves who lived there in the 18th
and early 19th century.
The estate was first
farmed as early as 1738. Over the centuries the farm had many
owners, one of them being Christopher Nugent, who bought the farm in
1774 and gave the estate its name. Caroline Gasperi, who is the
present owner of the Eco-Farm, likes to say proudly that many historians
believe her farm is one of the oldest cattle farms in the entire West
Indies.
Mario Gasperi, Caroline's
husband, managed the farm for many years until his death. Today,
besides raising animals, the farm is also used as a bed and breakfast.
Caroline is an historian
in her own right. The ranch - farm has been in the family for
four generations. She has uncovered historical letters and papers
from the original owners of the property. They indicate the slaves
he had and the problems he was having with his cotton crop due to a
long drought in the early 1800's.
Castle Nugent Eco-Farm
affords one the opportunity to experience some of St. Croix's Colonial
legacy firsthand. For more information, visit their website at www.cnsenepol.com.
Paraphrased from
Olasee Davis of the St. Croix Hiking Association. Email
Olasee Davis for information about the Hiking Association's future
adventures. Visitors and non-members welcome!
Photos ©gotostcroix.com.
All rights reserved. |
Top