USVI Historic Buildings Archive

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. The 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, a historic cemetery and a 20th-century building which houses both church and school offices.