Tradesmen of St. Croix

Karen C. Thurland, Ph.D., of Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, is an educator, historian and author. She is the author of The Thurland Family and the Furniture Making Tradition, Peter G. Thurland Sr.: Master Cabinetmaker and Bandleader, The 872nd and 873rd Port Companies: My Father's Story, The Neighborhoods of Christiansted, St. Croix: 1910-1970, and The Sugar Industry on St. Croix. She is the daughter of Will and Modesta Thurland of St. Croix. Karen is a 1998 recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts in the United States Virgin Islands.

St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, a Caribbean island, had a large number of black tradesmen who operated their own shops in its towns. These men passed on vital technical skills to their sons and apprentices, so those colonial crafts persisted during the Danish era. A few trades have continued for over a hundred years of American rule. Two of the tradesmen featured in this book, Peter G. Thurland Sr. and Alphonso Forbes, participated as musicians in the transfer ceremony of the Danish West Indies to the United States in the town of Christiansted, St. Croix, on March 31, 1917, while one tradesman, Carlos H. McGregor, observed the event.The tradesmen documented in this publication include a blacksmith, mason, shoemaker, tailor, two goldsmiths, and two joiners. They started out as young apprentices and went on to master a trade and operate their own workshop or business. These native black men contributed to the economic, social, and political life of St. Croix through periods of prosperity and financial hardships. These tradesmen were respected by people in the community and are a vital part of the island's history and culture.