Projects
Step Street Project Hassel Island Committee
Step Street Project
The Step Street Project of the St Thomas Historical Trust has the objective of raising public awareness as to the historical value and uniqueness of Charlotte Amalie’s 45 step streets, and to initiate and coordinate programs to renovate, restore and maintain these valuable historical and cultural objects as present day working infrastructure, of benefit to the community.
Over the years many of these step streets, although used daily by hundreds of Virgin Islanders on their way to school, work and their personal business, have been allowed to run down and in some cases are severely decayed due to neglect and lack of maintenance. On the other hand those step streets that have been kept up such as the well known “99 steps” are a source of pride in their community and are well known island wide. These few examples also serve as a model as to what may be achieved by beautification and restoration of these fine examples of our public architectural heritage.
The intention of the St Thomas Historical Trust is to partner with the various communities and community organizations and on a phased basis restore, renovate and beautify about 3 to 5 step streets per year. In the first round of restorations we will be partnering with “My Brothers Workshop”, MBW. They have been working with at risk young men and women in the community by teaching them building and construction skills. MBW have been active in restoring a number of historical buildings will training the youngsters in construction and social work skills.
The restoration process being contemplated will replace broken bricks, archways and entrance columns, ensuring compliance to the historical specifications. Beautification with easy to maintain and drought resistant plants as had occurred in the past, will be done. In some instances lighting and handrails will be added for additional safety and convenience of the adjacent community.
It is felt by our organization that the benefits which will accrue by the successful implementation of this project will be
- Increased awareness by the public of the wonderful historical heritage of our island.
- Serve as a catalyst for improvements and increased community interaction, beautification and pride in the adjacent communities.
- Increased opportunities for safe recreational facilities for exercise and relaxation in the town of Charlotte Amalie.
- Additional visitor attraction spots which can in turn improve economic activity in our town.
The award of this grant to the St Thomas Historical Trust will be very beneficial to realizing this project.
Hassel Island Committee
Committee Objectives
The objectives of the Hassel Island Committee, in cooperation with the Virgin Islands National Park and the Virgin Islands government, are to open to the public, maintain, stabilize, interpret and restore the trails and historic sites on Hassel Island. To date, trails have been opened to all major historic sites, tours have been led for youth groups and Trust members, sites have been cleared and stabilization projects are being planned.
We would like to urge you to become a donor to the Hassel Island Fund to assist us in opening up and interpreting this wonderful piece of maritime heritage in our harbor. In addition, if you are willing to volunteer your services, please contact our Executive Director, Pamela Montegut, at execdirector@stthomashistoricaltrust.org.