Invest With only a handful of lots on the market at any time, stunning views, and the possibility of owning property in a secluded tropical paradise only minutes from downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, makes it clear that Water Island is a great real estate investment!
Retire Whether it's the warm weather (temperatures remain in the 80s (28C) year around), the activties (golfing, sailing, diving, or just lying by the pool, to name a few), or the great retirement community (how about lunch with the R.O.M.E.O.s? - "Retired Old Men Eating Out") - Water Island is an ideal place to spend your Golden Years!
Live Only a few minutes by ferry away, St. Thomas is the economic hub of the Virgin Islands, and employment opportunities abound. Water Island boasts proximity to a major international airport, and with high-speed internet access on the island, you can telecommute anywhere. The Antilles School is an award-winning private school attended by children from around the Caribbean, and with a variety of leisure activities - fine dining, water sports, cultural events, and travel - you won't lack for things to do on the weekend!
Information about Water Island, USVI
Water Island is a 500 acre (202.34 hectare, .78 square mile, 2 square kilometer) island located in the center of Charlotte Amalie harbor in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It is a secluded, semi-private, exclusive island with less than 200 residents (according to the 2000 census). It is located at N 18° 19'12.02" W064° 57'11.91".
The first recorded inhabitants of Water Island were the Arawak Indians in the early 1400's. Four small Indian campsites with pottery, tools and human remains have been uncovered on the island.
In the days of piracy, Water Island was used both for anchorage and for fresh water. Water Island gets it's name from the numerous fresh water ponds that were once found there. Pirates and other sea farers would replenish their water supplies from these ponds.
Water Island, during the years of European colonization in the late 1600's, was used for grazing cattle and goats. The livestock was owned by the Danish West Indian Company and was used to feed colonist on St. Thomas.
Water Island's history of ownership post colonization is very interesting. It was uncommon to find non-white plantation owners, however numerous free colored men owned Water Island and operated plantations on it. Detailed Danish records of property ownership exist from 1769 to 1914 however around 1710, it is said that a sail maker by the name of William Breitz lived with his family on Water Island. Upon Breitz's death, the property changed hands to Albert de Ruyter. Ruyter was owner until his death in 1719. From the
mid-1700s through the 1800s the island was owned by various individuals, including plantation owners of African ancestry. Records from the 18th-century indicate that Water Island was used for livestock and cotton production.
Joseph Daniel's heirs sold Water Island to the Danish East Asiatic Company for $21,000 in 1905. In 1917, the United States Government bought the Danish West Indies (St. Thomas, St. Croix and St. John) from Denmark but Water Island continued to be owned by the East Asiatic Company.
In 1950 the Department of Defense turned Water Island over to the Department of the Interior who then leased it to a private developer by the name of Walter Phillips. Walter Phillips sold the master lease for Water Island in December 1965 to the Water Isle Hotel & Beach Club under the ownership of Edward McArdle. McArdle expanded the hotel and built/sold some private homes. In 1989 Hurricane Hugo severely damaged the hotel and it subsequently closed. The lease ran out three years later and was not renewed.
Water Island was transferred by the federal government to the USVI territorial government on December 12th, 1996; making Water Island the 4th member of the US Virgin Islands. Residents living on Water Island during the transfer were allowed to purchase the land and homes that they occupied.
