Gibney Beach
The beach has been mostly accessible to the public since its acquisition, and a community center has been created on the property, where Oppenheimer’s house used to be.
A small piece of land, on the far northeastern section of the beach, was sold in 1957 to J. Robert Oppenheimer, an atomic scientist and member of the Manhattan Project.
They planned to spend a few months in the islands; in order to stay this extended time, Nancy had to quit her job.
Later, when friends Julius and Cleome Wadsworth, who lived on Denis Bay, moved back to the United States for the summer, the Gibneys stayed in their home rent-free.
When the Wadsworths returned the next winter, the Gibneys were not yet ready to leave, so they moved into a shed on Henley Cay, an 11-acre (45,000 m2) island on Caneel Bay.
Ed Gibney, their firstborn child, is a lifelong resident of Saint John and works as a surveyor.
She is the author of A Field Guide to Native Trees and Plants of East End, St. John U.S. Virgin Islands.
During this period, Oppenheimer, his wife Kitty, and their daughter Toni shared the bedroom of John Gibney and his brother Ed.
[5] After living on the beach for seven years, the Gibneys were forced to sell part of their land to J. Robert Oppenheimer in 1957 due to financial problems.
The Gibneys sold the most northeastern part of the land to Oppenheimer and his wife, Kitty, who built a vacation home.
[2] The house was left in disrepair and frequently vandalized until the Virgin Islands government took over the property and created a community center.
Now, the center can be rented out by paying a small fee for such events as senior citizen outings, Boy Scout meetings, concerts, picnics, weddings, and birthday parties.
[2] The Gibneys' property sale to the Oppenheimers created significant controversy between the families and the local community.
At first, the Gibneys' deed did not seem to restrict the Oppenheimers, but they began renting their vacation cottage soon after it was built, through the local real estate agency.
The Gibneys rejected the idea of a public park and expressed to Robert Meyner, Toni's executor to estate, their right of first refusal.
The Gibneys fought back, warning Meyner they would engage in a new deed saying only a one-family residence could be built.
A large iron gate was placed at the entrance to the Gibneys' property on the North Shore Road to prevent cars from entering.
[6] Today, much of Gibney Beach is under the stewardship of the United States Virgin Islands National Park.
The 2 acres (8,100 m2) of the waterfront land were the first major acquisition by the Virgin Islands National Park since January 4, 1979, when it acquired the Annaberg estate.
On August 15, 1997, Robert and Nancy Gibney's children optioned their portion of the beachfront property to The Trust of Public Land, an organization working in partnership with The Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park.
Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the natural and cultural resources of the Virgin Islands’ National Parks.
The only mammal native to Saint John is the bat, but many non-native animals have been introduced to the island over the years, such as dogs, cats, donkeys, sheep, deer, and pigs.
Gibney Beach lies on the eastern coast of the island and is characterized by dry forest vegetation.
The sand that makes up Gibney beach is made primarily from two sources, marine algae and living coral reefs.
Sandpipers and other shore birds are often on the beach, searching for small crabs and mollusks that live beneath the sand.
[9] Common fish off Gibney Beach include goatfish, grunts, tangs, parrotfish, angelfish, squirrelfish, trunkfish, trumpetfish, yellowtail snapper, blue runners, groupers, butterflyfish, damselfish, squirrelfish, porcupinefish, wrasses, octopuses, and eels.
[1][9] Gibney Beach is on North Shore Road (Route 20), about 2.1 miles (3.4 km) from Mongoose Junction in downtown Cruz Bay.
Tourists also have a scenic and easy drive on paved roads into shops and restaurants of Cruz Bay nearby.
This private, “off-the-beaten-path” quality of Gibney Beach is because there are no water sport rentals, eateries, and only limited parking available.
The fish close to the shore, visible while snorkeling, include: parrotfish, squirrelfish, trunkfish, trumpetfish, goatfish, grunt, and tang.
