Post cards featuring Port of Spain now and then, along with large photographs of several landmarks in the city are now on display in a special exhibit at the Rotunda, National Library.
Mounted by the Heritage Library, the exhibition is being hosted in commemoration of the 108th Anniversary of the City of Port of Spain, usually celebrated on June 26. The exhibition runs until July 26, 2022.
A release from NALIS notes that in addition to showcasing photographs, postcards and books, the exhibition provides a succinct chronological history of the city.
“Viewers will learn that by 1760, the population of Port of Spain numbered about 400 people who resided in what is today Nelson and Duncan Streets,” NALIS explains. “By the 1920s, the city had grown into a vibrant commercial and residential hub with various forms of vehicular transport from motorcars, buses, trams and trains. By then, the road infrastructure was modernised to accommodate this heavy traffic of persons flocking to the city.”
Today, the City of Port-of-Spain covers a total area of 2,550 hectares and includes the suburbs of Woodbrook, St. Clair, Belmont, St. James and New Town.
“Port-of-Spain City is home to the largest container shipping port in the country and is one of the major shipping hubs in the Caribbean. The largest stock exchange in the Caribbean, the Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange, is also based in Port-of-Spain,” NALIS says.
The exhibit also points to an interesting titbit in T&T history in the 20th Century—In the 1950’s Port-of-Spain was earmarked to serve as the capital of the short-lived West Indies Federation, which sought to unify the Caribbean.
NALIS says the information resources, photos and the post card collection are part of the Heritage Library’s collection, which can be utilised by the public for research purposes.
The public is invited to view the exhibition during the library’s business hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.
For more information, the public is invited to visit:
Heritage Library’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NALISHLDTT
NALIS’ website at www.nalis.gov.tt
…or send an email to asknalis@nalis.gov.tt