Fort Frederik

Fort Frederik, also known as Frederiksfort, is a U.S. National Historic Landmark in Frederiksted, United States Virgin Islands. It was built between 1752 and 1760 by Denmark-Norway to defend the economic interests of the natural deep water port of Frederiksted and to ward off pirates. It has red and white painted walls, making it quite different to the yellow and white of Fort Christiansværn on the other side of the island. It is located at the north end of Frederiksted, in St. Croix, south of the junction of Mahogany Road and VI 631. It should not be confused with Frederiks Fort, Fortberg Hill, on St. John, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

According to Westergaard, "It was soon found that a customs house was not sufficient, but that cannon must be provided, and placed as to command the roads where the ships lay anchored. In lack of such a 'water battery', ships were accustomed to slip away in the night-time without securing papers of paying their dues."

In 1776, the first salute from foreign soil to the new nation of the United States of America was fired from the fort. The salute of Old Glory which had been raised on an American brigantine at port in Frederiksted was a violation of the laws of Denmark-Norway's neutrality however the islands had helped the British colonist in America sealing a friendliness between the two colonies, and the salute was therefore appropriate.

Tekst overgenomen uit “Fort Frederik” op de Engelstalige Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Fort Frederik staat op plaats 2.563 van 5.793 in de bekendheidsranglijst van deze atlas en op plaats 72 van de 98 die de atlas in de Verenigde Staten in kaart brengt. Gebouwd in 1752, en daarmee ouder dan 20% van de gedateerde bouwwerken in de atlas — een van de 360 bouwwerken in de atlas die uit de 18e eeuw stammen. Zie hoe dat zich verhoudt in de kastelenstatistiek.

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