Fort Frederik Museum

The Fort Frederik Museum (340/772-2021, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Mon.–Fri., $3) is well worth a visit. Set on the town’s waterfront, this deep red fort served as the focal point of two of St. Croix’s most important historic events: the 1848 abolition of slavery and the 1878 labor riots, known locally as the Fireburn. The fort houses exhibits that describe these events, as well as a UNESCO exhibit entitled The Slaver Fredensborg, which remembers the slave trade by re-creating the 1768 journey of the slave ship Fredensborg from Copenhagen to Christiansted via the Gold Coast of Ghana. The museum also houses two excellent photographic exhibits depicting the island’s market women and Puerto Rican community.

In addition to housing exhibits, the fort is an attraction in itself. Built between 1752 and 1760 to discourage smuggling along the island’s western shore, the fort was named for the reigning Danish monarch of the day, Frederik V. It was built on the site of an earlier earthen fortification, Fort St. James, built by the English in the 1640s and later used by both the Spanish and the French.

Unlike Fort Christiansvaern, which is owned by the federal government, Fort Frederik is maintained by the local government. Until 1973, the fort housed government offices. Between 1974 and 1976 the fort underwent restoration before being opened as a museum.