Maroon Sanctuary Territorial Park Opens On St Croix
Local naturalist Olasee Davis helped establish the new Maroon Sanctuary Territorial Park on St Croix in 2025 to protect historic forest lands.
New Park Protects Historic Forest
The park encompasses 2,469 acres located in the northwest corner of St Croix. It protects Maroon Country, a steep interior forest where escaped enslaved people found refuge during the 1700s and early 1800s. The site also safeguards former sugar plantations and mill sites that have been returning to nature since Denmark ended slavery in 1848. Over 100,000 enslaved Africans moved through Christiansted port prior to sale to plantation owners within the Danish Caribbean sugar economy.
Hidden Burial Grounds Discovered
Olasee Davis led efforts to find burial grounds hidden beneath the understory of the forest for over 40 years. Most graves are marked with conch shells while some have low weathered concrete slabs covering them. One grave features a headstone softened by decades of moisture and lichen growth on its surface. This systematic conservation allows his work to continue permanently without fear that sites will disappear beneath the forest.
Trails Open For Visitors Soon
The park founders are building an official trail network out of former estate roads and forgotten forest routes. The roughly 10 miles of trails explored previously were a patchwork of paths pieced together over many decades. Travelers traditionally visited the US Virgin Islands for beach vacations and sailing charters before this new development. Now Maroon Sanctuary is opening another side to the islands for visitors interested in history and nature.
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