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Please Note: The following photographs are from the Ovesen Collection found at the St. Croix
Landmarks Society's Research Library in Frederiksted, on St. Croix, USVI.
I purchased the photos in 2003.

They are NOT to be copied or printed without permission from The St. Croix Landmarks Society.
For more information, please click here.

And who was Axel Ovesen? He was the best photographer on St. Croix during my years on the island.
I think he was the ONLY photographer on the island! He had a studio on King Street in Frederiksted for
many years. The first picture I posted of me on About Me #2 was taken by Mr. Ovesen!
A photo of Mr. Axel Ovesen follows and beneath the photo is the article "A Dane Who Stayed".

When I was growing up on St. Croix, this is what the
intersection of King Cross and Strand Streets looked
liked. Where the board fence is to the left was once a
house. Today, the Frederiksted Hotel is located there.

This is the corner of King and Hill Streets. As of May
2005, only the first floor of this structure is still
standing. For many years, the Morales family had a
bar & restaurant on the first floor and lived on the
top floor. Talk about good Puerto Rican food!

The Durant Tower. The strangest house in Frederiksted
during my youth. I never entered this home. It was
destroyed by a hurricane after years of being
neglected. To the right one can see a small one story
white structure that were apartments and for a while I
remember a barber shop being located in the building.
The location is King Street close to Queen Cross Street.
Also see St. Croix 6.

The pier in Frederiksted. The cargo ships anchored out
and boats would bring the freight to the dock and the
crane would remove the items from the boat.
Eventually, a longer dock would be built where the
trucks are parked on the left. Since it was longer, we'd
call the dock with the crane the small dock. The area
has been redone a few times and is now known as
the Ann Abramson Pier.

The chapel at Montpelier. The chapel was destroyed by a hurricane. A new open air structure has been built
in the area. One or both columns seen in the photo at the left can still be seen, at least in 2004 when I visited
the area. The column(s) is/are covered by overgrown bushes. You can see one of the columns by going to
St. Croix 13. We'd make pilgrimages to this area while I attended St. Patrick's School. We'd walk from school
to the chapel and back. There would be a service then we'd have a picnic. It was a lot of fun!

Photo on the left is of the Sugar Factory at Bethlehem. Estate Coble, where I was born and lived
for a while with an aunt, is not too far away. For another view of the Sugar Factory, see postcard on St. Croix 27A.

Photo on the right is that of Caribair. I never flew this airline. The tail of the plane shows
one of the towers of El Morro, the famous fort in San Juan.

From an article, "A Dane Who Stayed", which was written by Nina York for the Daily News,
March 26, 1993:

"In 1904, when a 19-year-old Dane named Axel Ovesen arrived on St. Croix with the 9th battalion
of the Danish garrison, he probably never would have guessed that this remote possession of
Denmark would become his permanent home.

The son of a sailor, Ovesen was born in the seafaring town of Aalborg in Jutland. Perhaps his
father's foreign travels inspired him to seek a distant destination.

Young Ovesen's few duties at the Frederiksted garrison allowed him ample time to indulge in his
hobby of photography. He brought along two cameras, one with panoramic capability of
180 degrees. Among the soldiers there was a great demand for portraits to send home to
friends and family.

When the military garrison was succeeded by a citizen militia in 1906, Ovesen and his fellow
soldiers had the options of returning to Denmark with the military or resigning. The majority
stepped down and many moved to the United States. Only a few opted along with Ovesen to
remain on St. Croix.

He made his decision largely because of the business opportunities he envisioned with a
photographic career. He settled in Frederiksted and began operating a store carrying books,
Danish newspapers and foods, postcards which he himself produced, and many other items --
along with his photography studio. He was always on hand at weddings, christenings and other
festive occasions which the local population wanted to record. As there were few professional
photographers in the islands, his clientele was considerable.

In 1912, Ovesen embarked on another enterprise, a daily newspaper -- the West End News,
which he published in cooperation with Alberic Lightbourne. Ovesen's photographs, particularly
of the island's numerous parades, were perfectly suited for the newspaper. This liberal daily was
quite successful and continued until 1974; however, Ovesen had sold his interest in it in 1920.

He sold "Cartes de visite", the little photographs our grandparents used to gave away, for $1.50
a dozen. Many interesting photographs of local activities, scenery and buildings were used in
Luther Zabriskies's book of 1919 about the islands.

In 1917, Ovesen married Christine Amalie Tranberg, the daughter of a resident Danish businessman.
He became the proud father of five children and maintained many Danish customs at his home,
particularly at Christmastime. The children assisted in the many family business activities. When
Christine Ovesen died in 1927, their upbringing was taken over by her sister, who lived nearby.

The loss of his wife hit Ovesen hard, and during subsequent years he suffered many financial
setbacks. In 1930 he traveled to New York, where his sister lived, but it was a period of hard times
in the U.S. mainland as well, and eventually he gave up looking for work there and returned to
St. Croix in 1932, arriving with 10 cents in his pocket.

With help of friends and family, Ovesen was soon back in business as a photographer in
Frederiksted, supplementing his income by selling his own home-grown vegetables. He soon
married Louisa Rohena Arizmendi, the daughter of a resident of a Puerto Rican Businessman
originally from Vieques.

Soon, Ovesen was in clover again, and as the years progressed, he increasingly allowed his
business to take care of itself.

In 1970, Ovesen fell and broke his hip. The store soon closed, and in 1972, after two years of
disability, Axel Ovesen died in the town where he had spent the major part of his life. He was buried
in the Lutheran cemetery at the edge of town.

His photography produced an enduring legacy of invaluable importance not merely to historians,
but to anyone interested in knowing what life here was like in the early part of the 20th century."

03/22/06, 06/09/20

The Ovesen Collection

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Most photos purchased from St. Croix Landmarks Society while others purchased from Shutterfly.com.

We called this Peter's
(Christian) Supermarket but
the sign on the wall reads
"First and Last Stop Super
Market". The entrance that
appears here was eventually
moved to the right side,
a few feet from the "Free
Parking in lot" sign. During
my high school years, this is
where we waited for the bus
to take us to St. Joe's.

The sign above the black
board says "Meats". Can't
make out the other signs.

The Christian family lived
upstairs.

Angel Suarez's (Lili)
Supermarket on Queen
Street.

If I am not mistaken that is
Mr. Suarez in the photo.
The family lived upstairs.

This was one of the many
supermarkets in Frederiksted.

The building now in its place
does not look anything like
this.

The building was converted
into a "mini-mall". One of
Mr. Suarez's sons has an
office in the building.

Also see St. Croix 23.

Have no idea who Marshall Bordoux
was. (I think it's in reference to
Buddhoe. Click here for more
information. You can see a
bust of Buddhoe by going to
St. Croix 24.

This is Prince Street, close
to Market. The walls of
St. Patrick's Church can
be seen. (#1)

The Thomas family (Wesley and
Archie) had a store on the first
floor of the two story building on
the left. (#2)

Mr. Maldonado had a store in the
building on the right, #3. What we'd
call today a bodega.

The street is not paved. It's
compressed dirt!

1848 to 1948 being
celebrated? The Danes
Emancipated the
slaves in 1848.

This is Prince Street, between
King Cross and Hill Streets.

Mr. Golden and wife lived in
the two story house on the
left foreground, #1. Today it
is divided into apartments.
The sign on the building (#2)
reads, "Peoples Unity Store".
When I was growing up on
the island, I remember it as
a supermarket owned by
the Garcia family. In the area
where I indicated #3, there is
now a warehouse / store.

This is Queen Street close
to Market Street. Again, road
is not paved.

The market can
be seen to the left , #1. There
is a horse and cart (buggy)
next to Johnny Belardo's
place, #2.

The Wilson family lived in
the two story house
on the right, #3.

Today, in the area labeled #4
is a housing project and at
the other end of the street
the legislature and various
government offices.

St. Patrick's Church and School
Frederiksted, St. Croix, USVI

Built in 1843 in the Gothic Revival style,this Frederiksted landmark gives visitors a glimpse into the island's
history. The outside is constructed of limestone and coral blocks trimmed with yellow brick. Inside, you will
find handcrafted woodwork made by 19th-century St. Croix artisans. The three-tiered bell tower came later.
The graves in the adjacent cemetery date to the 18th century. Year of fire is said to be 1932 per contact with
St. Croix Landmarks Society.

St. Patrick School, next to the church, was established in 1866 and opened on May 1, 1866 under the auspices
of St. Patrick Church. The next several years there were a series of natural disasters that almost forced the school
to close. In 1914, the Sisters of the Missionary Canonesses of St. Augustine were brought from Belgium to St. Croix.
The buildings were renovated and the school continued to strive. In 1917, when the islands transferred from
Danish to American rule, the Redemptorists arrived. The main school building was dedicated on December 1, 1940.
At this time, the school was serving a staggering 500 students from kindergarten through twelfth grade. This was
finally alleviated when St. Joseph High School opened in 1964 and St. Patrick became an elementary school.
More classrooms and buildings were added to the school in 1982 and in 1985 the first pre-school was opened.

The steeple of St. Patrick's church on fire.

My aunt, Doña Francisca Nieves Belardo (Titi Paca), and Don Carmelo Belardo (her husband) owned this bar.
They also lived here. It is said Titi Paca did seamstress work while Don Carmelo ran the bar. The Caribbean Bar
also featured boxing matches from time to time. Don Carmelo told me once that boxers came from other islands to
fight. Don't know if there was a purse. How much would the winner get? I was also told that dances were held.
This structure was on the corner of King and Lagoon Streets, across from what is now Buddhoe Park
(we called it the Bandstand). Today a 2 story cement building stands in its place!
May my aunt and her husband rest in peace!

Mr. Axel Ovesen,
the great
photographer,
posing with one of
his cameras!

This house is on Prince Street,
close to Hill Street.

Was the residence of
Mr. Schade, pronounced
Shadah.

Mr. Schade was the
owner/pharmacist
of the Apothecary Hall
(see St. Croix 23).

Alexander
This theater was located in
Christiansted. I saw my first
movie here. It was a James
Bond movie.

Frederiksted had a theater
also, which was located on
Market Street close to
Strand Street. I never got to
go to this theater. It was
owned by the Gardine
family.

Eventually the theater closed
and years later new
theaters were opened in the
Sunny Isle mall.

July 16, 1885 to February 25, 1972