Estate Fareham Sugar Mill Along The Southern Coast of St. Croix
At the height of the Danish colonial era in St. Croix (late 1790s), a good 200+ sugar mills dotted the island’s lush rolling hills. Many persist to this day, though some are in better shape than others. Equal parts dark reminder of the horrors of slavery and revered historic structures, these mills have grown into an iconic symbol of Saint Croix. (It’s complicated.) As such, many have been preserved. Some, like the Estate Fareham Sugar Mill, even continue to serve useful functions.
Harnessing the wind to crush sugarcane in the production of sugar and rum, though, is not among those functions. That all stopped with the introduction of the steam mill to Saint Croix in the early 1800s.
In more recent years, Saint Croix’s sugar mills have been incorporated into villas and private homes. Often, as is the case with Estate Belvedere, old coral-stone sugar mill walls are melded into new construction, adding historic character.
At The Buccaneer Resort, the sugar mill that sits astride the main building is a prime spot for weddings and fashion shoots.
The Estate Fareham Sugar Mill, though, isn’t used for anything quite so fancy, of course. It was so overgrown when last we saw it in 2018 that I honestly can’t say whether it’s used for anything these days.
Well into the 2000s, though, this mill was a prime watering hole for Senepol cattle. The legendary cattle homegrown in Saint Croix graze all over former plantation estates along the south shore.
One enduring Crucian icon adapted to continue serving another.
*Photo credit: Patrick Bennett