Love and loss abound in this NEW historical memoir, documenting a way of life that no longer exists.

It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.

With 200 rare photographs, it’s a visual feast for those curious about St. John’s history under the Danish and US flags. 

Here is the blurb from the back of the book.

• When a prominent St. Thomas merchant accumulates 2,500 acres on the island of St. John to raise cattle and cultivate bay leaves, he has no idea that his generation will be the last to farm the land. 

• During the 1920s to the 1950s, Herman O. Creque's hard work pays off on his estates of Annaberg, Mary's Point, and Lamesure, but at the peak of their profitability, he dies, leaving them all to his wife, Emily.

Summer Fun at Francis Bay

Francis Bay is their children's favorite with almost thirty years of summer memories, fishing, hunting, and crabbing. One day, the beach and summer cottage will be theirs, or so they believe.      

Laurance Rockefeller and Frank Stick

When two conservationists from the United States visit the island in 1952, they find the unspoiled nature of Emily's lands enchanting and "wish to preserve them for the enjoyment of the nation."

Little do Emily's children suspect that life as they know it is about to change forever, and the unthinkable will tear their family apart.

Includes the history of the Virgin Islands National Park

Vintage St. John is a collection of their heartfelt memories woven together from personal interviews. They paint a vivid picture of life before the establishment of the Virgin Islands National Park... and life shortly after. 

Order a signed copy today!

Discover Norman Island’s History of Piracy and Buried Treasure! 🏴‍☠️

The pursuit of buried treasure is the stuff of legends and has fascinated people for centuries with its promise of gleaming gold doubloons and pieces-of-eight.

• When a prominent St. Thomas merchant accumulates 1,500 acres in the Virgin Islands, members of his community suspect he has found his wealth in a bat-filled cave on Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands.

• The island, after all, was the secret hiding place for Captain Owen Lloyd in 1750, when he and ten pirates buried 44 wooden chests of stolen silver, but Henry O. Creque stayed silent as the rumors swirled around town.

Did Creque really find a stash of precious coins in a dimly-lit cavern? 

Join the author, one of Creque’s great-great-granddaughters, on this exciting adventure as she unravels the cryptic clues passed down in the her family.

They may reveal the closely guarded secret her ancestor was trying to keep!

Norman Island is thought to be the inspiration behind Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Treasure Island. 

🏴‍☠️ Vintage Norman Island is a collection of fascinating stories about the hunt for hidden treasure. They paint a vivid picture of the history of Norman Island when buccaneers and privateers used the island as their "treasure house."

Also available at amazon HERE.

Note: * Signed copies are mailed media rate which can take several weeks.

Donate Vintage St. John to a School or Library

Love, loss, family, and sweeping historical change come together in Vintage St. John: A Family Memoir in the US Virgin Islands.

• Featuring more than 200 rare photographs, this richly illustrated memoir offers students, educators, researchers, and history lovers an intimate look at a way of life that has all but disappeared.

• It is both heartwarming and heartbreaking—a vivid portrait of St. John during a transformative period under the Danish and United States flags.

• When you purchase this special edition, a copy will be donated in your name to a local school or library, helping preserve and share the history of St. John with future generations.

About the Book

When prominent St. Thomas merchant Herman O. Creque acquires 2,500 acres on St. John to raise cattle and cultivate bay leaves, he has no idea that his generation will be the last to farm the land.

From the 1920s through the 1950s, Herman’s hard work brings prosperity to his estates at Annaberg, Mary’s Point, and Lamesure. At the height of their success, however, he dies—leaving the properties to his wife, Emily.

Summer at Francis Bay

Francis Bay becomes a beloved retreat for their children, filled with nearly thirty years of summer memories: fishing, hunting, crabbing, and gathering together at the family cottage. They believe the beach and cottage will one day belong to them—or so they think.

Laurance Rockefeller and Frank Stick

In 1952, two conservationists from the United States visit St. John and are captivated by the unspoiled beauty of Emily’s lands. They wish to preserve them “for the enjoyment of the nation.”

Emily’s children have no idea that life as they know it is about to change forever—or that the unthinkable will tear their family apart.

The Virgin Islands National Park

Woven together from personal interviews and heartfelt family memories, Vintage St. John paints a vivid picture of island life before the establishment of the Virgin Islands National Park—and during the dramatic years that followed.

Purchase a copy or several for your favorite local school or library and help place this important piece of Virgin Islands history into the hands of a new generation.

Order a copy today!

Donate Vintage Norman Island to a School or Library

Discover Norman Island’s History of Piracy and Buried Treasure 🏴‍☠️

• For centuries, stories of buried treasure have captured the imagination with promises of gleaming gold doubloons, pieces of eight, secret caves, and fortunes waiting to be discovered.

• When prominent St. Thomas merchant Henry O. Creque acquires 1,500 acres in the Virgin Islands, members of his community begin to suspect that he discovered his wealth inside a bat-filled cave on Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands.

• Their suspicions are not entirely unfounded. In 1750, Captain Owen Lloyd and ten fellow pirates used Norman Island as a secret hiding place for 44 wooden chests of stolen silver.

As rumors about his own fortune swirl through town, however, Creque remains silent.

Did he really discover a cache of valuable coins in a dimly lit cavern?

Join author Valerie Sims, one of Creque’s great-great-granddaughters, as she follows cryptic clues passed down through her family. Could they reveal the closely guarded secret her ancestor took such care to protect?

Believed to have helped inspire Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Treasure Island, Norman Island has a fascinating history filled with buccaneers, privateers, hidden riches, and enduring mystery.

• Vintage Norman Island: True Treasure Tales brings together captivating stories about the search for buried treasure, painting a vivid picture of the time when pirates used Norman Island as their “treasure house.”

When you purchase this special edition, a copy will be donated in your name to a local school or library—giving students, educators, researchers, and history lovers an opportunity to explore this remarkable chapter of Caribbean history.

Purchase a copy or several for your favorite local school or library today and help bring the history and legends of Norman Island to a new generation.

Order a copy today!