Nelson Island

Nelson Island

The "five islands" of which Nelson Island is included was used by the indigenous people of Trinidad as a fishing and trade depot, shortly of Columbus' invasion of Trinidad circa 1498, the island was used as a defense base for Trinidad by the Spaniards

Nelson Island

    After the abolition of slavery in Trinidad in 1838, the British regime turned to indentured labour from India to work the agricultural plantations. Nelson Inland was used as a quarantine and processing station before entry in the main land between 1866 and 1917

During World War II the island was used as a detention centre for German and Austrian Jews that fled the Nazi regime during the holocaust. During such time a gun emplacement and a cable causeway to Rock Island was was installed. It would be later be used as a detention centre again in the 1970's and 1990's following the insurgency of the black power movement and an attempted coup. 

Nelson Island's atmosphere is that of an era frozen in time, stone walkways and buildings built by highly skilled Africans known as the "King's Slaves"  with the oldest record  of such  a building constructed  in 1802 . 

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