Pointe-a-Pierre

 (The Nation’s lifeline)

The notable Pointe-à-Pierre area was one of the first areas in Trinidad to become settled after conquest resulting from the Cedula of Population of 1783.

But before the French were the Spanish and they were initially attracted to lands for its

scenic beauty as well as its rich soils. Also, within the region of Point-a-Pierre was a coastal feature that made it very popular with the Spanish conquistadors: its headland

which they referred to as "Punta de Piedras" or "Point of Stones." It was the French that translated the name to "Point-a-Pierre" and it has remained so ever since naming the entire settlement.

In circa 1797,Pointe-à-Pierre was also a very productive area with as many as 32 estates, 23 sugar mills 5 steam engines and about 24 rum distilleries which were said to produce as much as 7,650 gallons of rum.


After the abolition of Slavery in 1838, the ex-enslaved Africans squatted on the Crown lands in the area which proved to be a great problem for the authorities. It was at this

time that the Pointe-à-Pierre village sprang up. The adjacent Plaisance Estate also became a place popular for outings because of its natural hot springs which were believed to be therapeutic. The Pointe-à-Pierre coastline, although not noted for the best beaches in the country, was still a relatively popular bathing spot in the 1860's (Flower Pot) and was lined with resort cottages around this time.  


The popular hot springs of the Plaisance Estate seemed to be a pull factor in luring people to the area along with the Southern Main Road Estate tracks which had several houses along the periphery. However, by 1913, an oil company called Trinidad Leaseholds Limited bought all the estate lands in the area which were found to contain oil since 1857. Although at the time the oil refinery was basically a small centre and oil storage deposit, it soon grew to become one of the most important refineries in the western hemisphere during World War II, and constituted one of the largest contributions to the war effort by a private company. In 1991 the refinery was still the largest in the Caribbean.

Since then, Trinidad's oil refinery has changed hands several times.

Today, Pointe-à-Pierre is still an overwhelmingly oil based village most of the key refinery workers, especially those linked with the essential services reside in "The Camp" which formerly housed émigré personnel. In fact, within "The Camp" contains a primary school, a yacht club and a staff club equipped with a pool, tennis courts, squash courts and an 18 hole golf course.

In addition, the town is also the home of the Pointe-à-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust which is a wildlife reserve for waterfowl located within the premises of the Petrotrin oil refinery.

The region is very critical to the economy of Trinidad bringing in much of the country's annual income and employs many people in the oil industries. Oil and its products make up approximately 37-8% of the countries GDP. Although, the area is situated far south, it is still deemed one of the most significant areas of Trinidad and Tobago.