Post cards featuring Port of Spain now and then and large photographs of several landmarks in the city are on display 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.
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. 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.
The City of Port-of-Spain now covers a total area of 2,550 hectares and includes the suburbs of Woodbrook, St. Clair, Belmont, St. James and New Town. The 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. 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.
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 8:30am to 5:00pm and Saturdays 9:00am to 1:00pm. For more information persons are invited to visit the Heritage Library’s Facebook page, Nalis’ website at www.nalis.gov.tt or email asknalis@nalis.gov.tt. The exhibition runs until July 26, 2022.
His Worship the Mayor Port of Spain, Alderman Joel Martinez visits Heritage Library’s photographic exhibition commemorating the 108th Anniversary of the City of Port-of-Spain at the National Library on July 8. Looking on is Paula Greene executive director, NALIS.
Post Cards on display at the Heritage Library’s 108th Anniversary of Port of Spain Exhibition.