Today we’re visiting Statia ("stay-sher"), short for St. Eustatius. This island is part of the Netherlands Antilles (sometimes called the Dutch West Indies). Statia is a sister island to Saba and St. Maarten. This morning, Nantucket Clipper is the only passenger ship in the harbor. It’s hard to believe that around the time of the American Revolution, over one hundred large sailing ships anchored here every day. Statia was the shopping mall of the New World! In fact, this small island was called the "Golden Rock" because it was the richest island in the world. Goods – including fine fabrics, silver, gold, sugar, cotton, tobacco, household supplies and even slaves – from all over the world were bought and sold here. At the time of the American Revolution, other European countries were fighting each other and England was trying to stop American rebels from gaining their independence. Holland (called the Netherlands today) owned Statia. Holland stayed neutral in all the fighting and opened Statia as a free port, where people from any country could buy and sell things. Statia helped American rebels buy sugar products from other Caribbean countries, such as St. Kitts. (Kittians sold their sugar products to the Statians and the Statians sold them to the Americans – see the December 25, 2000 journal for details.) These business deals helped the Americans avoid the British laws that prevented Americans from buying from British Caribbean islands. Statians also sold weapons to the American rebels. Statia’s trade with the Americans made the British angry. Then the island became the first country to recognize the United States of America as an independent country. This action made the British even angrier! In November 1776, an American ship, Andrew Doria, sailed into the harbor and fired a customary 13-gun salute. The ship was flying a flag unfamiliar to Statia’s Dutch Governor De Gaff. Governor De Gaff had his men fire a customary return salute. He didn’t realize the ship was under the command of an American rebel navy captain and the flag being flown was that of the independent United States of America. Statia instantly became the first nation in the world to salute an American naval ship. As such, Statia was the first nation in the world to recognize the United States of America as a nation independent from England! The British forced Holland to remove Governor De Gaff from Statia. Even though the Dutch removed the governor, the British were still very angry and started a war with Holland. A few years after that first salute of the United States, British Admiral Rodney attacked Statia. Admiral Rodney captured all the ships at Statia, stole everything in the warehouses, and took all the merchants’ money. Statia was never the same after the invasion. We investigated the old stone ruins of the shops and warehouses along Statia’s waterfront. Then we walked up the steep stone road to Statia’s capital and only town, Oranjestad, and visited Fort Oranje – where the first salute to the United States of America was fired. |
Looking down from Fort Oranje, we see the Nantucket Clipper docked at the harbor in Statia.
The stone ruins along the waterfront of Statia can be seen from Fort Oranje. At the time of the American Revolution, this waterfront was a mile-long street of shops and warehouses where things were bought and sold from all over the world. Now all we see are the remains of the tumbled-down stone walls and foundations. In the distance is Statia’s sister island, Saba.
Fort Oranje is on the edge of a cliff overlooking Statia’s harbor. This fort was made to protect Statia’s merchants, shops and warehouses. The fort’s walls are about six feet thick!
An old cannon from Fort Oranje points out over the ruins of the shops and warehouses along Statia’s waterfront.
Next to Fort Oranje are the ruins of a Dutch Reformed church in the quiet capital city of Oranjestad. Oranjestad is the only town on Statia today. |
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December 27, 2000
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