soboyle

I'll be visiting St John In Feb 2010, and will be working on a project photographing the sugar mills on the island. I was hoping to get some information about out of the way, little known sugar mill ruins on St John that I could photograph. I'm aware of the restored sites, which I will visit, but was hoping to find one or two "lost" locations that are little known, to be able to photograph the sites in an overgrown condition.
Any suggestions?

brenandg

I know you are looking for a specific answer, but really, there are ruins scattered about St John. The VI National Park has been having days where volunteers are clearing the overgrowth of foilage around the ruins.

http://seestjohn.com/trails.html

Check out this website. You will see some kind of ruins on many of the trails. Maybe you will see some that interest you. I'm assuming you will be checking out Annaberg. There is also the Annaberg school and old Danish road nearby.

Feet, Fins and Four Wheel Drive by Pam Gaffin is a nice guidebook to use while you are there or Gerald Singer's St John Off the Beaten Track.

soboyle

Thank you, some great resources there. The map linked on the seestjohn.com website is very good.
I wonder if both of the books you mentioned are recommended, or is much of the same information repeated? They both get high marks by reviewers on amazon.

brenandg

It really is a great website. Of the more well known ruins, I would recommend Catherineberg. If you are going down Centerline Road, turn left where you see the VI National Park sign. It is a bumpy road from what I remember.

http://www.seestjohn.com/places_cathrineberg.html

I also recommend Peace Hill which is off North Shore Road on the left. There is a parking lot with a sign. It is before you get to the main beaches and is near/on Denis Bay.

http://www.seestjohn.com/trails_peace_hill.html


The Cinnamon Bay loop trail is a nice, short, flat walk. It is right across from Cinnamon Bay Beach. Don't get it confused with the longer, more difficult Cinnamon Bay Trail.

http://www.seestjohn.com/trails_cinnamon_loop.html

Annaberg and school and Old Danish Road

http://www.seestjohn.com/places_annaberg.html

http://www.seestjohn.com/places_annaberg.html

http://www.seestjohn.com/trails_annaberg_area.html

Annaberg is past Big Maho Bay. It is after the road forks into 2 one ways. We missed the sign for the school last time. That little area is mildly confusing the first few times.

You did say that you were aware of the restored sites, these are just a few recommendations as I don't know which ones you plan on photographing.

We own Feet Fins and Four Wheel Drive. It is a great little book and we have used it many times. That said, even though I have not looked at the book at length, Gerald Singer's book looks really nice and has color pictures. It also says it was revised in 2006. Not sure when Gaffin last updated her book. Mine was in 2003. I don't think you need both and since you might want to get a look at where you are going and what you are photographing, Singer's might be the better book for you. I know guidebooks may be a little passe', but I can tell you that they are very helpful especially for the first few visits to STJ. There are so many hidden gems to find. Just be sure to get Gerald Singer's book beacause I saw another book with the same title but different author on Amazon. The books should tell you the degree of difficulty og the hikes, I know Gaffin's book does. Hopefully you can post a link to your pictures after your trip! Gerald Singer blogs on the seestjohn website as well.

DebitNM

Some of these are repeats but:

http://www.varlack-ventures.com/vvfi..._ruins_st_john

There are sugar mill ruins at: on Peace Hill; Reef Bay, Little Lameshur Bay, Brown Bay, Annaberg on Leinster Bay, Caneel Bay and Catherinberg on Centerline Road, the only ruins that are not located near the waters edge.

Hope this helps.
Deb

soboyle

Thanks again, great information. This will be my 3rd trip to St John, but the first I'll be photograping the ruins. I'll pick up the Singer book first. This trip is in combination with a family trip this coming winter, so time will be limited, but I plan on taking a couple hours early each morning to visit the various ruins over our 10 day stay (longer for the long hikes, like Reef Bay). Will certainly post results when the trip is done.

TropicalFocus

Hi Soboyle - Shooting ruins is a lot of fun. The provided suggestions are excellent. I do take quite a few wedding and family vacation photos in these locations and find that bees and wasps like to build their nests inside. So pay attention to buzzing sounds and look around, especially up. Feel free to contact me if you have any special requirements or equipment issues. Best wishes, Bob

soboyle

Thanks for the warning about the bee's.
I'll be coming down mid Feb, so am looking forward to visiting some of these sites, esp around the Annaburg area, since we are staying at Maho. I'm currently reading Singer's book "Off the Beaten Track", Brown Bay sounds interesting for some more recent ruins.