|
Excerpted from St. John Off The
Beaten Track ©
2006 Gerald Singer
In the plantation days there was a road that ran along the north
shore of St. John between Brown Bay and what is now called Cinnamon
Bay. To reach Cruz Bay from the north shore bays, such as Cinnamon,
Trunk, Hawksnest, Denis and Caneel, it was necessary to first
go up the mountain to Centerline Road (called Konge Vey at that
time) and then head west from there.
Most of these mountain routes were no more than horse or donkey
trails. They generally followed the natural drainage guts in
the mountain valleys. In areas where no trails had been cleared,
the gut itself served as the path. The trail at Cinnamon Bay
follows one of these Danish roads, which in the old days provided
Cinnamon Bay with access to Konge Vey.
The Cinnamon Bay Trail connects Cinnamon Bay with Centerline
Road. It begins about 100 feet east of the entrance to the Cinnamon
Bay Campground on the North Shore Road just past the ruins, which
are visible on the side of the road. This trail is 1.2 miles
long and ascends steeply, gaining about 700 feet in altitude.
The beginning of the trail is the most difficult part, so don't
be discouraged by the steepness and lack of shade. There is
a conveniently placed flat rock near the top of the first steep
ascent on the right side of the trail that can provide comfortable
seating for two and may be a welcome rest stop.
The trail soon levels off and crosses a gut. At this point,
you will find yourself in a relatively cool and shady forest.
From here on, the ascent will be easier and shadier.
The America Hill Trail begins about 50 yards past the first gut
crossing and leads to the ruins of the Estate House at America
Hill. These ruins can be seen from Maho Bay, on the hill to
the west.
The trail to the estate house runs uphill and switches back
five times before you reach the mountain plateau upon which the
greathouse ruins lie. The trail is no longer maintained by the
Park If you go to the Estate House, be careful. Do not climb
on or go too close to the ruins as they are unstable.
Much of the trail is lined by the sweet lime bush, also known
as limeberry, a plant with thorns that can be unfriendly to hikers
when left to grow out over the trail. The limeberry produces
a fragrant flower and bears an edible fruit, used in making jams
and jellies.
An old sugar boiling pot will be visible on the left just before
you arrive at the end of the trail and the remains of the crumbling
estate house.
The America Hill Estate House is an excellent example of late
nineteenth century Virgin Island architecture. Much attention
was obviously given to an aesthetically pleasing design as
well as to functionality, the limitations of the building site,
and the availability of materials and labor.
In the early 1900s, America Hill served as a guesthouse where
travelers could rent rooms. One of the last tenants was rumored
to be Rafael Leónides Trujillo, former dictator of the
Dominican Republic.
Some older St. Johnians say that the estate house was also used
as a headquarters for rumrunners during the prohibition days.
As was the custom in those days, the cookhouse, or kitchen,
was built as a separate structure. The remains of the cookhouse
are to the right of the main building. The date 1934 is inscribed
on the cooking bench. To the left of the estate house ruins are
the remnants of a cistern and a well.
Although the estate house is now completely surrounded by dense
vegetation, the view must have been spectacular when the house
was occupied. Looking through the bush you can see Maho Bay,
Francis Bay and Mary's Point on St. John and White Bay on Jost
Van Dyke. Also visible are Tortola's north coast, Great Thatch,
and part of the Sir Francis Drake Channel.
Continue up along the Cinnamon Bay Trail, keeping the gut on
your right. The forest is shady and cool with light filtering
through the trees.
The hillside is covered with bay rum trees, and the fragrance
of their aromatic leaves permeates the forest.
When you come to a fork in the trail, bear right. The other
path soon ends in the bush.
During the sugar plantation days, most of this area was cleared
and terraced by an enslaved labor force. The remains of these
stone terraces are visible on the hillside above the trail.
Strategically placed along the trail are lines of rocks crossing
at an angle. These serve to divert the flow of water across
the trail and prevent erosion that would result from water
flowing freely down the length of the trail. Some of these
rudimentary culverts exist from the Danish days. This innovative
management of the water run off have kept many of the old Danish
roads in fairly good condition.
You will start to see a great deal of wild anthuriums growing
near the trail. Off to the left, or upper side of the trail,
try and find a fairly well preserved terrace retained by a
wall of dry stacked stones. In this area are the remains of
a large hole where the earth appears to be black in places.
This was once a charcoal pit.
Charcoal was an important industry during St. John's subsistence
farming days. It served not only as the principle source of fuel
for cooking, but also was sold for cash in St. Thomas. Charcoal
was prepared by digging a large hole, then filling it with wood
stacked in a triangle-like fashion. The wood was then layered
with green grass, leaves and dirt. It was set on fire and left
to burn for a week or two. This resulted in the production of
St. John's fine charcoal, which is still made today, although
the only person I know who still sells it is Patrick from Patrick’s
West Indian Delight across from the Post Office.
After a series of switchbacks to gain elevation, the trail again
crosses a gut. In this area you may find hog plum fruit when
they are in season. The problem is that the hog plums are invariably
too high to pick off the tree. Worms, birds and insects are
usually quicker than hikers to find the ripe fruit that falls
to the ground.
After another series of switchbacks, you will come to an area
of tall beautiful trees, such as West
Indian locust, kapok and
genip.
The path turns to the right passing by two overlooks with splendid
views and then continues upward through the forest emerging
from the bush at Centerline Road. From here, you can turn around
and make the easier downhill hike back to Cinnamon. Other alternatives
to return to the campground are the Maria Hope Trail to the
east or the Cathrineberg Road to the west.
More Trails |
