Hassel Island Historic District | |
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| Nearest city | Charlotte Amalie |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 18°19′44″N 64°56′0″W / 18.32889°N 64.93333°W |
| Area | 48 acres (19 ha) |
| Built | 1801 |
| Architect | Lt. Col. Charles Shipley |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001862[1] (original) 78003093 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 19, 1976 |
| Boundary increase | August 29, 1978 |
Hassel Island (also sometimes Hassell Island) is a small island of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a United States territory located in the Caribbean Sea. Hassel Island lies in the Charlotte Amalie harbor just south of Saint Thomas and east of Water Island, with which it is part of the sub-district of Water Island.
The roughly 136-acre (550,000 m2) island was once a peninsula of Saint Thomas, known as Orkanhullet (Hurricane Hole). Hassel Island was separated by the Danish government in 1860, and named for the Hassel family who owned much of the estate.
In March 2012, the MTV's reality TV series The Real World was filmed for its twenty-seventh season on Hassel Island. The series was filmed at the Royal Mail Building which was the former quarters of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. During the later 1900s it was operated as the Royal Mail Inn. It is the only season that the television series has filmed in the Caribbean. The season completed its filming two months later in May 2012. In 2015, that land was purchased to be used as a private home. There are under five homes built on this island. It does not seem to be a fast growing populous place, but rather is a more secluded National Park and limited number of private homes.