Exhibits

Photograph of ancient artifacts recovered from archeological sites across St. Croix
Some of the prehistoric artifacts from the Folmer Andersen Collection, collected from across St. Croix.

NPS photo

Pieces of the Past - The Human Story of Ancient St. Croix

In this exhibit we explore the routines of daily Amerindian life, the mundane and the sacred, on Ayay, today called St. Croix. We put a face to the first settlers of St. Croix, to the people who arrived by canoe over 2,000 years ago. Through historic documents and person accounts, ethnographic research, and archeological evidence we are beginning to understand their ways of living, how they envisioned their landscapes, how they organized their villages and houses, their concepts of the sacred, and yow they maintained connections with others across vast distances.

This exhibit features artifacts collected by Folmer Andersen between 1916 and 1931, from several prehistoric village sites across St. Croix. This collection of over 13,000 prehistoric objects is under the care of the National Park Service at Christiansted National Historic Site.

This exhibit is currently on display in the second floor gallery of Fort Christiansvaern. Please call the park for times and days when the exhibit space is open, at 340.773.1460.
 
photo of pieces of painted pottery called Chaney on St. Croix
Pieces of chaney from the exhibit by Aarhus University student intern Gitte Westergaard, March 2017.

NPS photo

Chaney - Stories from Migrant Fragments
This exhibit explores how fragments of ceramics, decorated in a variety of styles and colors, are representative of not just history and a cosmopolitan past, but of a process of discovery, economy, and community identity present on the island today. These fragments, buried under the soil, can be found across the island of St. Croix, are symbols of the island’s connections to global economies and changing styles of ceramics. Today, some see these fragments as trash, some as economic opportunity, while others see history and heritage. The exhibit presents a central question - Can someone own the past, or does the past belong to everyone?

This exhibit is no longer on display at Fort Christiansvaern. For information, please contact the park at 340.773.1460.

Last updated: December 5, 2023

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

2100 Church St. #100
Christiansted, VI 00820

Phone:

(340) 773.1460

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