Location: 17°41’58.19″N 64°51’38.28″W
Estate Whim is leased by the St Croix Landmark Society and operates on their mission “to advance the understanding and appreciation of the humanities and the unique historical and cultural legacy of St. Croix and the entire Virgin Islands, through preservation, research and education.”
The grounds are home to many artifacts with a bias towards St Croix’s heritage sugar industry. Also, they host many local events in support of their mission statement.
The museum and archive library have limited hours. Please check their website for further information.
There are two examples of steam mills at Estate Whim Museum, one with a vertical drive cylinder and the other with a horizontal cylinder. I believe the vertical is the mill originally from Spring Garden.
The horizontal cylinder steam mill is likely originally from Estate Clifton Hill.
At one time, there was an example of a rum still on display at Whim, but sometime between late August and early September 2009 it was stolen and only discarded parts recovered. The main body of about 2 tons of copper stolen and presumably sold.
In late 2009, the price of copper was around $3/pound, meaning that a priceless artifact was stolen to gain less than the $12,000 the metal was worth.
Sad to say, mismanagement and a change in purpose which lacks interest in recognizing the historical heritage of St Croix has left Estate Whim in a much worse state than it was when this photo was taken, many years ago .
