Moravian Church
Moravian missionary Frederick Martin established the Virgin Islands' first Moravian church in 1737, after purchasing a plantation on the east end of St. Thomas. The plantation was named "New Herrnhut" in honor of the Mother Church in Germany. The New Herrnhut Moravian Church, a one story brick and stucco building with a hipped roof, was most likely built soon after the plantation's purchase, for New Hernhutt was a thriving plantation by 1770. In 1867, a hurricane damaged much of the plantation, which then fell into ruin. Nevertheless, church and school activities continued. Today, the site includes the church, an historic cemetery and a 20th-century building which houses both church and school offices.
New Herrnhut Moravian Church is located off of Rd. 208 east of Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas Island, U.S. Virgin Islands. Call 340-775-3255 for more information.
Information and photos courtesy of the National Register for Historic Places U.S. Virgin Islands Travel Itinerary, a subsidiary of the National Park Service.
