It is hard to imagine that this bucolic scene was actually what the Churchill Roosevelt Highway once was maybe half a century ago. This image is from a postcard bearing a 15-cent stamp that featured both the Trinidad and Tobago Coat of Arms and an image of the Queen of England – suggesting a post-Independence and pre-Republican period. There is nothing to indicate the geographical location of this stretch of the Highway, and we would be delighted to hear from readers if they know!
The postcard comes from the Michael Goldberg Collection, one of several held and now digitized at the Alma Jordan Library. The Library’s website provides this background on the collection.
“A dentist since 1972, Dr. Michael Goldberg migrated to Trinidad from the United States in 1998. He has worked as a dentist with the non-governmental organization, Servol, at its Forres Park Life Centre in south Trinidad. This collection was compiled by Dr. Goldberg over a ten-year period while residing in Upstate New York in the United States. The collection, which has been arranged by subject, spans the period 1872-1995 and highlights the scenes, social life and customs of Trinidad and Tobago. It contains mainly albums of postcards from Trinidad and Tobago along with some souvenir booklets, photographs and glass lantern slides. Many of these postcards contain messages and are postmarked. There are also a few postcards from Belize. Researchers browsing this collection would see images of the early East Indian migrants to Trinidad; historical sites in Port of Spain including government buildings, homes, schools, churches and temples as well sites in Tobago.”
This was the first digitized collection to be placed in The UWI Institutional Repository. The digitization was made possible when the former librarian, Mrs. Irma Goldstraw, donated the funds to have it done.
It was the beginning of a fantastic voyage for the Alma Jordan staff as they opened the library’s resources, portal by portal to the online community. Read about that journey here. |
