Christiansted Old Soul, New Spirit

The town of Christiansted, (Christian’s Place) was named after King Christian VI of Denmark-Norway. It was founded in 1733 by Captain Frederick Moth after he was appointed Governor of St. Croix. Captain Moth led a party of able-bodied men from St. Thomas to St. Croix with the sole purpose of clearing a piece of land for Fort Christiansvaern. The land was cleared by September of that year. Beginning in May of 1735, Christiansted was in the early stages of being developed by using a grid system, which basically employed a set of imaginary and horizontal and vertical lines drawn on a map, latitudes and longitudes. Building codes of that era dictated street widths, setbacks, zoning and building materials. The town was eventually laid out in a symmetrical pattern, with streets running at right angles to the waterfront. Masonry structures were the norm by the 1760’s, and neoclassical architecture characterized the colonial government buildings. Solid stone buildings were built in pastel colors with bright red roofs, and cobblestone streets and sidewalks added a touch of 18th-century European architectural style.

The Fort was constructed from 1738 to 1748 on the remains of an earlier French fortification destroyed by a hurricane. Its main purpose was to protect shipping commerce from attacks by foreign invaders, and by pirates and privateers who trolled the waters. It was also built to offer refuge to the local citizens in the event of a slave revolt. By 1754, the town’s rolls included 83 “white inhabitants” each of whom owned from a single slave to sixty-six slaves. Because the town was constructed by African slaves, there are many African influences in Christiansted’s design, making it one of the few “African-Danish” towns in the world. 

When you examine the early years of Christiansted it is hard to overlook the conditions by which it was built. Slavery, brought into existence by immoral men, powerful men who earned their ill-gotten fortunes and accolades of accomplishment  off the backs of an entire race of enslaved people, was undertaken in the name of the Good Lord and under the guise of righteousness. But there is no way to change or reverse this darkest era of history. It can only be dealt with in a civilized manner. 

Yet, Christiansted, along with the rest of the United States, and parts of the world, has somehow been able to slowly shake off this black-eye on the face of the human race. We have all fought long and hard to find a sort of divine freedom of conscience. Never forgetting the past inhumanities, But trying our best to move on. To mend fences that seemed impossible to mend. Freedom and Equality for all!     

Still in 2024, Christiansted Town shines. It stands tall and proud like a wounded champ who has just gone the distance and defeated his opponent in a 15-round decision. By outlasting him, by outsmarting him, by rope-a-doping him, by making him see the errors of his ways and nudging him to correct them. Yes, Christiansted Town shines. It glows in the dark for all the world to see, for all to sit up and take notice of a people who have been shoved down the rabbit hole of inhumanity and come back up to conquer its destroyers. A people who stand lock-step against the evils of yesterday, banding together to follow the bright lights of the future. Through tyrants and hurricanes, crooked voices and deaf ears, there has arisen a people whose aim is to stick together, who are decidedly determined to continue to fight the good fight. 

Take a walk through the town, gaze into the eyes of the people who work in the shops, who ply their trade, who flip the burgers, who serve the pizzas, who toil their days away in a place some call paradise. See if you don’t find a certain glimmer of joy in those eyes, a certain kind of happiness and contentment to be where they are, a certain kind of peace with the world. See if you can find that same look the next time you’re in Chicago, Atlanta or New York.

Look a little deeper and you may find a  past that is buried there, a past that is slowly receding from the future. A future that is bright and full of hope, undertaken by a people who have decided to band together, to connect like family, to struggle and win. Yes, Christiansted Town shines.