Annaberg School Ruins

The 1840s saw the construction of the first government schools in the then-Danish West Indies. Governor-General Peter von Scholten saw universal compulsory education as a means of amelioration and a way to prepare the colony for the eventual elimination of slavery. Government schools were first built in St. Croix, and in 1844 funds were made available for the construction of two schools on St. John [1]. One was situated at Bethany, near Cruz Bay [2], and the other was near Annaberg, on the north shore of the island.

The ruins of the Annaberg School are a short distance from the road to the Annaberg Plantation [3]. Steps have been built so you can better view the ruins, and a small display describes the history of the school and efforts to preserve it.