Hassel Island, U.S. Virgin Islands
Encyclopedia
Hassel Island is a small island of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a United States territory located in the Caribbean Sea
. Hassel Island lies in the Charlotte Amalie
harbor
just south of Saint Thomas and east of Water Island.
The roughly 136 acre (550,000 m²) island was once a peninsula of Saint Thomas, known as Orkanhullet (Hurricane Hole). Hassel Island was separated by the Danish
government in 1860, and named for the Hazzel family who owned much of the estate.
The Danish used Hassel Island's strategic location to defend the busy Charlotte Amalie harbor in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The British
occupied Hassel Island during the Napoleonic Wars
.
The ruins of several British buildings remain on Hassel Island, including Fort Willoughby, which was built on the site of the older Prince Frederik's Battery (Fort Frederik), Fort Shipley (Shipley's Battery), and Cowell's Battery. All three were constructed around 1802.
In the 1840s, the St. Thomas Marine Railway Company constructed the St. Thomas Marine Railway Slip. Later renamed the Creque Marine Railway
, it is one of the earliest steam-powered marine railways in the western hemisphere and perhaps the oldest surviving example of such a railway. The Hamburg
-based Boulton Company built the railway's steam engine.
In the 1860s, the Danish government dug a channel which separated Hassel Island from Saint Thomas and improved the circulation of the Charlotte Amalie harbor.
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
operated its West Indies hub on Hassel Island from about 1850 until the 1870s.
In 1871, the Hamburg America Line
set up a coaling station on Hassel Island.
There was also a leprosarium on the island.
The channel was widened by the
United States
Army Corps of Engineers
in 1919, shortly after the United States purchased the Danish West Indies
. The United States Navy
also established a naval station on the island, which was in operation during World War I and World War II.
In the middle of the 20th century, most of Hassel Island was owned by the prominent local Paiewonsky family. The Royal Mail Inn, a small hotel located on Hassel Island, may have been the hotel immortalized in Herman Wouk
's novel Don't Stop the Carnival.
The Creque Marine Railway and a signal station at Cowell's Battery were in operation until the 1960s and 1970s respectively.
purchased most of the island from the Paiewonsky family. The rest of the island is divided between the territorial government and a few private residences.
Since around 2004, the Saint Thomas and Hassel Island Preservation Trust, the Virgin Islands National Park, and other organizations have been working to restore and preserve the island's historic sites. There are limited guided kayaking
and hiking
tours of the island.
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
. Hassel Island lies in the Charlotte Amalie
Charlotte Amalie, United States Virgin Islands
-Education:St. Thomas-St. John School District serves the community. and Charlotte Amalie High School serve the area.-Gallery:-See also:* Anna's Retreat* Cruz Bay* Saint Thomas* Water Island-External links:* *...
harbor
just south of Saint Thomas and east of Water Island.
The roughly 136 acre (550,000 m²) island was once a peninsula of Saint Thomas, known as Orkanhullet (Hurricane Hole). Hassel Island was separated by the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
government in 1860, and named for the Hazzel family who owned much of the estate.
History
Careening Cove, a bay on Hassel Island, appears on maps as early as 1687.The Danish used Hassel Island's strategic location to defend the busy Charlotte Amalie harbor in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
occupied Hassel Island during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
The ruins of several British buildings remain on Hassel Island, including Fort Willoughby, which was built on the site of the older Prince Frederik's Battery (Fort Frederik), Fort Shipley (Shipley's Battery), and Cowell's Battery. All three were constructed around 1802.
In the 1840s, the St. Thomas Marine Railway Company constructed the St. Thomas Marine Railway Slip. Later renamed the Creque Marine Railway
Creque Marine Railway
The Creque Marine Railway, formerly the "St Thomas Marine Repair Facility", is an inclined-plane ship railway on Hassel Island in the US Virgin Islands.-History:...
, it is one of the earliest steam-powered marine railways in the western hemisphere and perhaps the oldest surviving example of such a railway. The Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
-based Boulton Company built the railway's steam engine.
In the 1860s, the Danish government dug a channel which separated Hassel Island from Saint Thomas and improved the circulation of the Charlotte Amalie harbor.
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
Royal Mail Steam Packet Company
The Royal Mail Steam Packet Company was a British shipping company founded in London in 1839 by Scot James Macqueen. After good and bad times it became the largest shipping group in the world in 1927 when it took over the White Star Line....
operated its West Indies hub on Hassel Island from about 1850 until the 1870s.
In 1871, the Hamburg America Line
Hamburg America Line
The Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft was a transatlantic shipping enterprise established in Hamburg, Germany during...
set up a coaling station on Hassel Island.
There was also a leprosarium on the island.
The channel was widened by the
United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
in 1919, shortly after the United States purchased the Danish West Indies
Danish West Indies
The Danish West Indies or "Danish Antilles", were a colony of Denmark-Norway and later Denmark in the Caribbean. They were sold to the United States in 1916 in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies and became the United States Virgin Islands in 1917...
. The United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
also established a naval station on the island, which was in operation during World War I and World War II.
In the middle of the 20th century, most of Hassel Island was owned by the prominent local Paiewonsky family. The Royal Mail Inn, a small hotel located on Hassel Island, may have been the hotel immortalized in Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk
Herman Wouk is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author of novels including The Caine Mutiny, The Winds of War, and War and Remembrance.-Biography:...
's novel Don't Stop the Carnival.
The Creque Marine Railway and a signal station at Cowell's Battery were in operation until the 1960s and 1970s respectively.
Today
In 1978, the Virgin Islands National ParkVirgin Islands National Park
Virgin Islands National Park is a United States National Park covering approximately 60% of the island of Saint John in the United States Virgin Islands, plus a few isolated sites on the neighboring island of St. Thomas...
purchased most of the island from the Paiewonsky family. The rest of the island is divided between the territorial government and a few private residences.
Since around 2004, the Saint Thomas and Hassel Island Preservation Trust, the Virgin Islands National Park, and other organizations have been working to restore and preserve the island's historic sites. There are limited guided kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
tours of the island.
External links
- http://hasselisland.org
- http://www.seestjohn.com/hassel_island.html
- http://www.stjohnhistoricalsociety.org/History/HasselIsland-Chronology.htm
- http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/prvi/pr31.htm
- http://www.northamericanforts.com/East/vi.html
- http://stthomassource.com/content/news/local-news/2008/04/10/hassel-islands-makeover-uncovers-historical-riches