Historical Tour

(1) The Great House Ruin (c. 1770-1780)

The ruins of the Rust-Op-Twist great house are among the most impressive on the island of St. Croix. Completed apparently in the 1770s by the descendants of the first resident owner, Johannes Uytendaele, the Baron von Bretton - and possibly by Uytendaele himself, who may have lived on the estate by 1768. The estate residence followed the conventions of St-Croix great houses of the late 18th century. The preferred residential building type was a masonry ground floor, used mainly for storage, and wood frame second story. A drawing of 1844 shows a hip-roofed, apparently cedar shingle covered superstructure, with typical window arrangement and verandas.

The estate was one of 51 sugar plantations burned by rioting cane field workers in 1878. The great house itself, was burned at the time, leaving the present masonry remains. The masonry bearing walls, staircases, retaining walls, perimeter walls and cisterns are at present overgrown and in the flight path of several hundred honeybees who reside in the hives at the base of the (2) Animal Mill Terrace. So please proceed with caution in this area.

Overall dimensions of the house were approximately 50 x 80 ft. or around 4000 sq.ft. The walls were about 2 feet thick and constructed of rubble masonry, reinforced at the corners by cut stone, cut coral and bricks, following the standard construction for the island.

(2) Animal Mill Terrace (c. 1760-1766)

An impressive, masonry retaining wall defining a circular terrace dominates this site. It is located about 150 feet east of the great house complex. The circle measures about 90 feet in diameter, the standard dimension for animal-powered crushing mills. The crushing mill would have included a horizontal turnstile, linked to vertically mounted crushing drums. It would have been operated by mules, oxen or horses. The extracted juice from the cane flowed by a wood sluice-way to the sugar factory for boiling and curing. Cane would have been carted along the existing access road and then fed into the crushers. Crushing mills were an essential part of a sugar plantation and this appears to be an original mill terrace. There are several weep holes in the wall of the terrace to allow for drainage.

(3) Sugar Mill Base (c. 1765-67)

A masonry windmill base marks the high point of the historic complex, rising to a 100 ft elevation. The mill base consists of a conical tower, over 25 ft in diameter at the base and 13 ft. at the top. The tower has four openings providing access to the crushing drums that were inside. The mill base would have been fitted with a movable wood superstructure, which held the sails and gear mechanism. Tradition has it that this mill was used as a refuge by the estate owners family during the 1878 labor unrest.

(4) Overseer's House (The Hospital) (c. 1760-1768)

This structure by tradition served as a hospital which was required on St. Croix estates after the 1820s as a result of local legislation. The plantation owners spouse was the health care "provider." This may have been the first attempt at universal health care or the first PPO in this hemisphere - certainly the first "employer mandate." Virgin Island law still requires that no person be denied medical care because of inability to pay. It is not known if anyone named Clinton was involved in passing the local legislation.

The building measures 37 ft. x 51 ft. and has a five-bay arcade across its east facade. The central bay serves as an entrance with a "welcoming arms" staircase common to many island buildings. Constructed of standard rubble masonry, with cut stone, brick and cut coral used at the corners. The exterior was originally covered by lime plaster much of which has been lost to weather.

One of the most impressive features of this estate is the vaulted basement area of this building. Folklore suggests that this area was a prison. Vaulted cells are ventilated by narrow, inward slits in the walls and this area is totally secured. Some experts feel this area was for storage of products or equipment, but you judge for yourself if you feel the Jumbie spirits in this place.

(5) Sugar Factory (c. 1770-1790)

A T-shaped factory is seen on a natural terrace along the western border of the residential/industrial complex. This factory matches a "model" factory described in a Danish treatise on sugar production in 1797. This is an impressive structure with 2 1/2 ft. thick walls and a vaulted section on the west that served as flues for the furnaces that provided heat for the condensation process. Furnace fireholes, providing access for fuel are seen on the exposed west wall. There are also a number of chimney remains which may have been used for blacksmithing. There are also several cisterns on the sides of the factory, holding water or rum. As a rum cistern they would have held metal "worms" necessary for rum production. The cane juice was held in wood or metal tanks. The boiling would have taken place on a masonry bench, fitted with round, iron pans known as "coppers", located above the furnace. Other parts of the factory would have been used for curing sugar and crystallization in open wood pans. The Rust-Op-Twist sugar factory remained in use until the late 1870s when it fell victim to the "Fireburn" and the trend toward central processing of juice.

(6) McOnie and Mirrlees Steam Engine (1850-1851)

The engine, constructed in Glasgow in 1850 and installed here in 185152, is one of the attempts to increase productivity by driving the cane crushing mills more efficiently than wind or animal powered mills and squeezing more juice from the cane. This engine has been described as,"a museum quality specimen, unequaled in England or Scotland." The machinery is cast iron which accounts for its remarkable survival in the weather and salt air.

(7) Animal Pens (co 1770-1800)

A set of animal pens, used to hold mules, oxen, or other animals would have been needed by the estate from the time of early development. The former stables are located at the east end of the pens.

(8) Newer Residences (c. 1780-1800, 1946-50)

This residence appears to have incorporated parts of the older yard and stable area. Walls for the whole complex seem to be historic with some later additions. Structures 7 and 8 are linked via an open veranda that sits upon a concrete terrace which was part of the animal pen walls at one time. The compound created by the surrounding buildings has been graded into a series of masonry terraces. The fountain and grassed terraces were added in the 1950s. There should be further investigation of the history of these buildings.

(9) Later Residence (c. 1780-1800, 1948-50)

This modest building added to the complex in the 1920s incorporated a portion of an earlier structure because of the rubble masonry base that is evident on two of the exposed sides.

(10) Slave/Workers Village Ruins (c. 1760-1800)

Rust-Op-Twist possesses some of the most striking collections of workers village house ruins of any former sugar estate on the island of St.Croix. The gatherings of houses, partially hidden by bush, are located along the hillside south and east of the main complex. This site includes at least 14-16 recognizable masonry houses and an additional 10-12 apparent house locations. It is likely that the site may once have had as many as 40 separate masonry buildings. The typical 1770 workers house was a two-room cottage with thatched or cane roof. In the 18th century, a number of estates began to provide better housing. The usual unit measured 14 by 26 ft. Walls were constructed of rubble masonry, extending about 6 ft above grade on the entrance side. Each house included 2 doors, always on the west side, and matching windows on the east. Openings are splayed inward. Edges and corners were defined with cut stone, brick, or cut coral. Other parts of the walls are field stone.

Partition walls were frame construction, much of which has deteriorated. All the dwellings are now in ruins, but at least 8 of the buildings retain exterior walls and all or most of the standing gables. The site preserves a strong sense of its original character, and one needs only a little imagination to recreate the overall appearance of the site.

The site possesses considerable archaeological potential. Shovel tests and surface collections indicate a high concentration of cultural materials, including a wide variety of European and locally made ceramic ware, glass, iron, as well as evidence of the workers diet. The village has the potential of answering many questions about the workers' life patterns. The site has remained undisturbed.

(11) Windmill Base Former Well (c. 1790-1800)

The windmill tower, built to hold sails to power a water pump, is located in the tidal marsh area. Constructed of rubble masonry, the tower is about 14 ft. in diameter at the base reducing to 8 ft at the top. It rises 25 ft. above grade and includes a recessed shelf at about 18 ft. The pump would have been used to pump fresh ground water for use by the estate.

(12) (13) Masonry Gate Posts (c. 1780-1800, 1948-50)

There exist two pairs of pyramidal-capped gate posts at the entrances to the estate. They may have been rebuilt in the 1950s. The posts are rubble masonry, cut limestone and cut coral. They rise about 8 ft. above grade and measure 2 1/2 ft square. They are topped with pyramidal caps of local stone. The posts were covered with lime plaster. The pair of posts that are on the NE corner of the estate are seen in an historical drawing (1844) and these mark the main and formal entry into the estate. The 1844 drawing shows a formal alley of palms extending from this entrance.

(14) Lime Kiln (c. 1760)

The remains of a masonry lime kiln are located in a small plot west of the slave village site, near the road. Appearing as a rubble pile the kiln is recorded on the records of this estate and the plot is owned by the Labor Union. Lime kilns were truncated cone forms approximately 10 ft. square and rising 10 ft. above grade. The Rust-Op-Twist kiln was used for the burning of limestone to produce lime powder.