USVI-On-Line

Sorry y'all that this had to be part 2,but I ran out of space.So from here I will finish up.Let's see...We are on the gallery of Island Fancy,the home of Grandma McCully."Grandma showed me a tile inscribed with her philosophy of life:"How hard it is to do nothing,and after doing nothing,to rest."Although this might not be a fitting motto for St.Croix or bustling St.Thomas,it certainly is appropriate for St.John and it's people.....I will end this here and later I will cover 2 more interviews done by Carleton Mitchell back in December of 1967 for the National Geographic.Lazylane,is it true that "Island Fancy "still stands?I hope so. Parafins

I remember we were somewhere near the campground at Maho and wasn't sure if we were on private property and we backed up to turn around and as we were leaving I remember saying - "there's a sign that says Island Fancy - I remember reading about the woman that built that" The sign was on an arbor or gate......details are vague in my memory!! Will have to research that further! Anyone know?

http://www.stjohnbeachguide.com/McCully ... 0Times.htm

parafins, you have probably already come across this as it is in the beach guide online, but just in case.....

Ethel was indeed a character...diminuative, fragile in appearance, actually as hard as nails and as dramatic as a drag queen. The drama was always magnified, both in the stories--she arrived by ferry like everyone else, but the jumping off the boat sounded a LOT more interesting...yeah, I know, I'm not supposed to debunk the stories, but her reality was actually better than what she made up.
Her working title for her book about building Island Fancy was "She Did it With Donkeys" .Changed to " Grandma Raised the Roof" by decree of her 1950's publisher.
She used to roast her peacocks and serve them at dinner parties.
Sometime in the 1970's when she was in her late 80's, she was mugged in the ladies room of a St. Thomas restaurant-- not only did Ethel retain her grip on her handbag, she beat her assailant about the head with it, forcing her out the door of the bathroom...and into the view of dozens of amazed onlookers in the dining room.
When she hit 90, she had a "dry run" of her own wake...invited almost everyone she knew to come out for roast peacock, martinis and eulogies.
Almost up to her death, she would be driven to Cruz Bay in the evenings and perch on a barstool at Gallows Point (the OLD Gallows Point, that is) where she would toss back a few martinis until the driver came to take her on the long drive back to the donkey path at the end of Maho beach. She'd hitch up her skirt and turn on her flashlight to stumble hundreds of feet up the steep shortcut to the other side of the ridge.
The St. John Historical Society website has couple of great pictures of Ethel at home:stjohnhistoricalsociety.org click on 'photo collections' and use the menu box to go to 'St. John-Impressions of a Happy Island' I think they are photos 16 and 17 in that collection...if you click on the pictures you can make them big, and really get the essence of a remarkable woman. (Plenty other pictures to keep you old photo fans busy, too.)

Forgot to say that Island Fancy is still there just north of the Maho Camps. It belongs to the Park and there are usually Park employees living there. Her peacocks stuck around for years, but I hear they're all gone now.
FACT: for many years in the 20th century, there were more peacocks than people on the streets of Cruz Bay.

Thanks Hugo! I love hearing the old stories!

Thank you hugo for all the info!Grandma just may be my favorite historic figure on St.John. Parafins

Sorry the link to the historical society won't activate. I'll eventually get around to being able to post photos directly on the forum....