1948

January 28

-Donald Downs invites a group to meet at his house to talk about preserving landmarks

February 5

-Name adopted: St. Croix Landmarks League

March 9

-Bylaws adopted, League is official

-League raises $1,110.65 to repair walls of Fort Christian

-Danish Sentry Box plans drawn, Box built for Government House $287.00, new gate and plantings for Limpricht Park $188.95

-League appeals to Denmark to return Ballroom furnishings to Govt. House

1951

January 19

-Municipal Council creates St. Croix Museum Commission to receive local, federal and private funds for museum collection

-League urges and Municipal Council create Public Park and Beach Facility at Altona Lagoon in Christiansted Museum partly funds archeology work (2 from Yale & 1 from Harvard)

-Museum accepts funds, buys Andersen Indian Relics collection and sets up exhibit on the first floor of the Christiansted Library

-League invites National Park Service to create Historic Site in Christiansted; receives a favorable report FIRST League member attending 5th National Council (now National Trust)

October 22

-League is voted Award of Merit from National Association for State and Local History (DC) (see also 1976)

1952

-Collection of books and documents begins to build

-Museum asked to consider Whim as a museum site by Municipal Council

-Charles Emanuel's collection of Spirituals are arranged to music

-Museum begins to collect samples of Frederiksted scroll work

-FIRST curator hired - Cyril Marshall

-League places historic marker plaque at Frederiksted Fort

-FIRST attendant and guide hired, Miss Valmoer Jacobs (serves 30 yrs)

-FIRST school visits to talk about Indian Relics and Colonial issues

-FIRST school field trips to Salt River -and other-Indian sites

-Reproductions of ballroom furnishings restored to Government House by the Danish Government Chrstiansted designated a National Historic Site

1953

March 10

-League pledges $500 to restore Steeple building for Museum display of the Indian and colonial items January-February Marshall goes for National Park Service Training in DC

-League publishes Folmer Andersen's "Notes on St. Croix" (1st publication)

1954

May 11

-League holds its first Frederiksted meeting

September 24

-Municipal Council disbands Museum,Commission, creates St. Croix Museum Inc. (one of its last Acts)

-Museum creates African Influences display; Hamilton display; carnival display; Protestant Cay display;1878 uprising display; 1954 Organic Act display

-Elisha Stapleton becomes caretaker at Whim

1955

-Sentry Box vandalized, new one built by League

-National Park Service still unfunded, Museum carrying costs Steeple building expected to be turned over to Museum by July or August Governor Alexander pledges a match of $15,000 for Whim restoration

1956

-FIRST House Tours held under AI Hogue, 5 Wednesdays, 220 tickets sold

-New governor refuses to honor predecessor's pledge

1957

-Roof work underway at Whim privately funded by Thayer of Butler Bay Floors at Whim replaced, also funded by Thayer

-League completes the installation of 134 mahogany street signs in Danish

1958

-League convinces Queen of Denmark to return King's portrait to Government House -10th anniversary of League celebrated

December

-Governor Merwin declares he wants Limpricht Park for parking

1959

January 20

-League holds discussion on Limpricht Park issue, defeats it

-Museum repairs cookhouse; sets up a boiling house display in slave quarters beside cookhouse

1960

-Federal HABS survey completed on WHIM

1961

-FIRST Museum Board meeting held at Whim site May 3rd Norman Sweetser hired as Director at Whim

-Downs urges a Hamilton memorial

-Discussions held to merge League and Museum

-Buck Island & Reef declared a National Monument

1962

-FIRST - March 18 - party at Whim, for neighbors; for public 20th March, then opens for visitors 6 days a week

-Stables converted to offices at Whim

-Requests Governor to lease the windmill at Whim for restoration, Ron DeLugo works to accomplish this when Governor refuses

-Visitor count for first 8 months totals 1118 (average of 6 per day)�

1963

January

-The Museum and League legally merge into "Society"

1964

-National Park opens the Steeple building with Andersen collection

-Ron DeLugo pushes through lease for windmill at Whim for Society

-First Art Show at Whim

-Society prints Romantic History of St. Croix by Florence Lewisohn

-Grounds around mill cleaned of trash and landscaped

1965

-Mill works located In Nevis, given as gift by artist Eve Wilkins

-Norman Sweetser retires at age of 72

1966

January

-Gift shop opens in the little room off the Greathouse

-Mr. Carroll Hopf hired as Director, quits after 6 months; replaced by Ralph Fuller; Bob Brown is interim Curator/conservator for the summer

-Cookhouse exhibit opens; boiling house display opens

-Bethelehem Sugar Cane Factory closed by VICORP

1967

-After 11 grueling weeks, windmill restoration, with vanes, is finished

-Peggy Wall is hired and running volunteers;

-Lee Platt unofficial director 50th anniversary of Transfer celebrated territory-wide

-Hu Hilder memorial gardens established, cistern built to water it

1969

-The gift shop moved to old hall

-Bathhouse roof replaced

-Climate controlled library built over the new cistern; old implements hall is repaired and prepared for exhibits (called Exhibition Hall)

1970

-FIRST Newsletter is iss3ed

-Danish West Indies in Old Picrnres exhibit opens (gift of DWI Society)

-Custodian's cottage renovated

-MacEvoy painting done by Betsy Voytershark from old oil, gift to Whim

1971

-FIRST annual Christmas party held to show greathouse by candlelight

-FIRST sale of poinsettias created byMargaret Hayes

-Diamond School Post Box moved to Whim

-Bethelehem conveyor belt moved to Whim

1972

-Lee Platt formally elected Director

-Watch House from North Road moved to Whim

-Animal mill restored on original site

1973

-FIRST Easter party held for Queen Louise for Children by staff

-Gate Posts from Com Hill placed at entrance

-New cistern built

1975

-FIRST opening of Merrill's Apod1ecary Hall exhibit

-Steam engine from Mount Stewart and 2 other crushing machines received

-Society prints Morton's Sketchbook 1843-1844

1976

-Whim elected to the National Register of Historic Places (took 16 years?)

-200th anniversary of creation of United States celebrated

-Platt does series of miniature town houses and shops

-Pot still works donated in memory of Howard Wall from Diamond Distillery

-The only time up to 1997 that Gov't. House private quarters are on tour ever

-Win Award of Merit from National Association for State and Local History for the second time (see also 1951)

1979

-FIRST Freedom Day party July 3rd

August 30

-Hurricane David; 3-5 September hurricane Frederick - 36 inches of rain reactivates the old well under the Greathouse

1981

-FIRST antiques auction run by Toby Schoyer in February

-FIRST gift shop catalog issued in August for Christmas

1982

-Lee Platt retires; Jean Pitts hired as Director in July

-Miss Valmoer Jacobs retires from museum at Steeple building after 30 yrs

-Christopher Columbus 500 committee spun off for lack of funds

1983

-October Barbara Hagen-Smith resigns Trusteeship to become new Director

-Rachel Armstrong Colby donates manuscript collection

-Grant to catalog library collection received, done by Dr. Robert Vaughn

-Professional librarian needed and Carol Wakefield hired

1986

-FIRST Candlelight concerts held

1989

- FIRST Ruins Rambles begin with Bill Cleveland

1990

-David Dennis hired as Conservator

- LaVerne Fredericks hired as Education Director

1991

- Society a founding member of Museum Association of Caribbean

-FIRST summer camps for children - Discover S1. Croix

1992

-FIRST film festival

-Family History Center created in Library

-Carlsburg Grant received for microfilming

-Salt River National Park & Preserve created (a joint US-VI park)

1993

-FIRST Black History Month essay contest

-First after school program Exploring My Island

1994

-Debut of Milling Road West Indies Collection of furniture

-Rulon-Miller rare book collection given to Library

March

-Whim gets 3 plus pages in Traditional Home magazine

July

-Whim gets 6 page spread in Victoria magazine

-FIRST Wine & Food Pairing in November, sponsored by Bellows

-FIRST Americorps person assigned to Education

-FIRST opened the reading room March (library too small)

-2 microfilm readers/printers acquired

-Gift Shop creates DWI banknotes and Christmas ornament to sell

October

-Richard Harris, professional retailer, hired

1995

-Ogese McKay Memorial Fund established for concert attendance

-New Dimensions-2000 five year fund drive begins

-Federal loan through Dept of Agriculture approved $180,000 for repairs

-FIRST Father's Day Ramble in June

-FIRST office manager hired

-Gift shop automates its accounting process

-Milling Road issues 8 new pieces of furniture

-Children's walking tour brochure created

-Group orientation area created

-Jeri Hillis and David Dennis: 3-dimensional topographic map of island with its mills in mahogany and glass case

-25K generator donated to keep Whim running, after Marilyn

1996

June

-Little La Grange established as family museum, opens October

-Apothecary exhibit moved to original building, reopens September

-FIRST Family History Workshop in May

-Society founding member of Heritage Attractions Association

-FIRST Hispanic Heritage month celebrated in October

-George Tyson new Director in October, Hagen-Smith moves to Archives

-Whim Auction featured in 3.5 page spread in Architectural Digest December

1997

-Gift allows library to double its space by going into the cistern

-Dorene James becomes Education Director

-Dept of Agriculture loan cleared, repairs begin in October

-80th anniversary of Transfer celebrated at Little La Grange jointly with the Friends of Denmark Association

-Whim Auction featured again in Architectural Digest June

Watch for up date for our last 10 years!