Virgin Islands 175thEmancipation Commemoration Committee to preside over reinterment of Anna Heegaard on Wednesday, July 31
Anna Heegaard, a pivotal determine within the historical past of emancipation within the Virgin Islands, shall be reinterred on July 31 at her burial website in Orange Grove, St. Croix. This initiative, often called “The Anna Heegaard Undertaking, Half 1 – The Reinterment and Actual Property Switch”, additionally consists of the official switch of the property to the folks of the Virgin Islands of the US.
The reinterment ceremony, organized by the a hundred and seventy fifth Emancipation Commemoration Committee (ECC) in collaboration with the Virgin Islands Division of Planning and Pure Sources (DPNR) and State Historic Preservation Places of work (SHPO), shall be attended by Governor Albert Bryan Jr., and landowner H. C. Ruparelia, developer and proprietor of Revolutionary Asset Group, who will facilitate the property switch. The occasion commemorates Anna Heegaard’s enduring legacy and highlights efforts to acknowledge the contributions of serious historic figures within the wrestle for freedom and equality.
Carol Burke, ECC Chairwoman and a descendant of Heegaard, stated that beneath the authorization of SHPO, the stays have been shipped to Denmark for authentication testing. “Her stays have now returned to St. Croix, and we look ahead to this essential historic growth as we enact this reinterment in a pine casket that has been custom-made for her,” the previous USVI senator acknowledged.
Chairwoman Burke defined that the property proprietor has agreed to deed to the Virgin Islands Authorities the parcel of land containing the non-public cemetery during which Anna Heegaard, her brother, and different kin have been buried. The household cemetery was rediscovered throughout land-clearing by the present proprietor, H. C. Ruparelia, whose work to rehabilitate the cemetery was approved by DPNR and SHPO. The restoration of the positioning ensures that Virgin Islanders for generations to return pays respect to the girl who performed an important position within the story of emancipation.
Born in Christiansted, St. Croix, to Susanna Uytendahl, a previously enslaved lady, and Jacob Heegaard, a white Danish official, Anna Heegaard was labeled as a free mulatto lady. Her relationship with Governor-Normal Peter von Scholten led to progressive reforms and the eventual emancipation of slaves in 1848.
As soon as she had gotten near him, Anna Heegaard let no alternative go by to explain to von Scholten the plight of the ‘free-colored’, the pressing want for reforms and the sort of reforms that have been wanted, in response to an article on the St. Croix Landmarks Society web site (stcroixlandmarks.org).
In response to a serious slave rebellion, Governor-Normal von Scholten determined to abolish slavery within the Danish West Indies in 1848. Whereas the historic data don’t explicitly point out Heegaard’s affect, her longstanding relationship with von Scholten, alongside along with her private experiences and background, strongly recommend that she had a major affect on his determination.
Anna Heegaard died in 1859 and was buried in her household’s cemetery at Aldershvile, in what’s now referred to as Property Orange Grove.
The reinterment of Anna Heegaard honors her place within the historical past of emancipation and is a robust reminder of the continuing wrestle for justice and equality for oppressed and marginalized individuals across the globe.
