Slavery Rebellion Hike
Local historians and educators are preparing for an annual hike and tour on St. John to commemorate the leaders of the Virgin Islands’ first rebellion against slavery.
Exactly 271 years ago today, enslaved Africans seized the Fortsberg garrison in Coral Bay with weapons hidden in loads of firewood in what became the 1733 St. John Revolt. Blowing conch shells and firing cannons, revolt leaders sparked a rebellion that quickly spread to surrounding plantations and wrested control of the island from Danish colonizers for six months.
The revolt, which predated the American and Haitian revolutions by decades, became the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary last year. Fortsberg is listed in the National Register of historic places.
Teachers from St. John and St. Croix are taking students to trace the steps of the revolt today. Activities culminate in an all-day hike and program on Friday that will include tours of key sites involved in the revolt including Fortsberg, a steam mill at Estate Adrian, and a sugar mill at Catherineberg. A panel discussion will be held afterward in Cruz Bay.
