The Start of a Karoo Town Middelburg 1852
Stop One: Driefontein Farm
- Allow for a 15-minute stop
- At the end of Naude Street turn left. The road becomes a dirt road and you will pass Middelburg Bowls club on your left. Drive through the avenue of gum trees (planted by British soldiers during the Anglo-Boer war). The mountain on your right is called Ouberg. Drive along this road and stop before the road veers right. The old foundations of the homestead are on your right in the open area.
- Have a look at the original homestead foundations and try and imagine what it must have been like so many years ago as you go through the information on Pre-Middelburg.
Pre-Middelburg – Khoisan
The original inhabitants of the Karoo were the Bushman/San people. They date as far back as 20 000 years. They were hunter-gatherers and followed the ripening of fruits and berries as well as the movement of game. They lived in small family groups called ‘bands”.
Around 5 000 years ago there was a movement of the Khoikhoi into the area. They were a much taller people and were pastoralists (they kept livestock). Both were encountered by early explorers into the interior in the early 1800s. William Burchell painted and documented much information on his interactions with them.
Pre-Middelburg – Trekboere
The first movement of Europeans into this area is thought to be as early as the 1760s. They were referred to as the Trekboere. There were no fences or windmills in the interior so the trekboere relied heavily on seasonal rivers and springs for watering their livestock. They did not stay in one area for long but “trekked” once a farm was “farmed out”. They were issued permits by the Cape Colony. These permits gave them entitlement to graze and hunt an area for one year at a cost of R1 – 80. They very often moved on before this money was due because they could not afford to pay it and areas were grazed very quickly. In those days the stocking rate was in excess of 4,5 sheep per hectare. Today the stocking rate followed is closer to 1 sheep per 4,5 hectares.
The Karoo is a semi-desert area prone to drought. The word “Karoo” is thought to be a bushman word meaning “the land of thirst”.
The Middelburg District fell under the Cape Colony. The Cape Colony was under British rule from 1795 to 1802. It was then returned to the Netherlands under the Treaty of Amiens (signed between England and France) in 1803 and was called the Batavian Republic. Four years later, in 1806, the British reannexed the colony.
In 1910 the Cape Colony united with 3 other colonies (Transvaal, Orange Free state and Natal) to form the Union of South Africa.
This was a self-governing entity within the British Empire.
The first fences in South Africa were put up by John Sweet Distin in the 1800s on Tafelberg Farm, Middelburg District. Some of these fencing posts can still be seen on the district road on the way to Tafelberg.
Windmills were perfected by 1883 giving a constant source of water all year round in the Karoo.
Miscast by Jeanette Deacon is a very good book which deals with the demise of the Bushman in Southern Africa.
Pre-Middelburg – Early European settlement 1779
Permanent settlement began from 1778 along the Sea Cow River (a tributary to the
Orange River, near Colesberg). In 1779 the van der Walt brothers moved into this area. One of the brothers, Nicolaas van der Walt, settled on a farm called DRIEFONTEIN Farm.
The Khoisan were active in this area until the 1840s but had turned away from hunter-gathering and had become stock raiders. There was a lot of friction between them and the early settlers. Nicolaas van der Walt attempted to form a relationship with the Khoisan who lived in and around Driefontein Farm, to prevent his livestock from being stolen. When the Khoisan were hungry and wanted meat, they would light a fire. Nicolaas would then in turn, after seeing their smoke, make a fire so they knew he had got their message. He would then go and hunt game for them to eat.
MIDDELBURG BEGINS 1852
The Dutch Reformed Church in Colesberg recognised that there was a need for another congregation in the Middelburg area. Where Middelburg is today was the perfect spot because it was 10 hours by horse back to Colesberg, Cradock and Richmond. 12 hours by horse back to Graaff Reinet and 16 hours by horse back to Burgersdorp…. more or less in the MIDDEL!
Nicolaas van der Walt sold Driefontein Farm in 1836 to Henning Johannes Hendrik Coetzee. In turn he then sold it to his son, Johannes Hendrik Coetzee, in 1852.
The Dutch Reformed Church had asked Johannes Hendrik Coetzee and his brother-in-law to look out for the right farm for them to purchase for the start of a new town. Farms which they looked at included Grootfontein (later used by the British for their peace keeping forces and now an Agricultural College) a farm called Kleinfontein and Driefontein.It is no co-incidence that on the day Driefontein was transferred to Johannes Hendrick Coetzee’s name it was promptly transferred into the name of the Dutch Reformed Church. The Church purchased the Driefontein Farm from him for the equivalent of R6 000 (4 390 morgan/ 3758 ha). Johannes Hendrik Coetzee then moved to Dwarsvlei Farm (which is where the Wool Festival is held each year).
How to start a town in the Karoo in 1852?
- Land – Driefontein Farm purchased by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1852.
- A church – All communities revolved around the church. Andrew Murray, the Scottish minister in Graaff Reinet, decided on where the first Church should be built in Middelburg. Ds William Murray was the first appointed minister in Middelburg. He remained here until 1865.
- A place for travellers to stay – James Smith purchased land from the church in 1853. He was given 1 year to build a hotel. By 1854 it was built and was called the Commercial Hotel (one of the oldest buildings and businesses in Middelburg today) – now called Karoo Country Inn.
- Inhabitants – The church auctioned off 200 plots. Buyers were given 4 years in which to build on their plots.
- Shops – the first shops in Middelburg were in tents.
Graaff Reinet was established in 1786 by the Dutch East India Company. It lies Southwest of Middelburg and is 107km away.
Colesberg was established by the Cape Colony in 1830. It lies in a northerly direction and is 95km away.
Burgersdorp was established in 1846 and lies in a north-easterly direction. It is 158km away.
The mountain/koppie running alongside Driefontein is called Ouberg. The open area opposite the old farmhouse foundations is called “the Vlei”. This used to be lands which were flood irrigated by the Kleinbrak River. This river is fed by three fountains which is where the farm got its name. This river used to flow all year round. This area later became a very popular weekend picnic site for the inhabitants of Middelburg.
The avenue of gum trees which you drive through to get to Driefontein were planted by British soldiers during the Anglo-Boer war.
Middelburg was originally called Middelpunt (middle point)
Driefontein Homestead
John Bennie was a Scottish Minister from Glasgow. It had always been his dream to come to Africa. When he did, he worked as a missionary in the Grahamstown area. He was a Xhosa linguist and was the first person to translate the bible into Xhosa. He married a Dutch woman whose parents farmed in the Murraysburg area. After having 9 children her health started failing her and they moved back to her parents. In 1853 they started the first coloured school in the Driefontein Homestead. They found that they preferred mission work to teaching and left their son, James Bennie, to continue the school. They then went on to start a coloured church in Middelburg and in Burgersdorp. John Bennie used to travel between the two towns and on one of these journeys, returning to Middelburg, just outside Rosmead, he had a heart attack. His grave can be found in the graveyard in town.
Stop Two: The Karoo Country Inn
- Suggestion is to park in front of the Karoo Country Inn, alongside the Market Square and walk for the next few stops.
- The Karoo Country Inn has beautiful old photos on the walls. Although right of admission is reserved, please announce yourself at the reception area and check if you can have a quick look through the downstairs area.
- Allow for a 15-minute stop
The Karoo Country Inn is one of the oldest buildings and businesses in Middelburg. It is 170 years old and has had a total of 10
owners over this time. James Smith was the first owner and built the Commercial Hotel in one year. It opened in 1854. In 1890 it was sold to Bertie Phillips. Over the next 89 years it changed hands 6 times. In 1979 it was taken over by the Le Roux’s who owned it for 20 years. During this time, it became part of the Protea Hotel Group and was called the Protea Country Inn. It has been owned by Johan du Pisani for the past 26 years and is now called the Karoo Country Inn.
Unpublished “Love on a shoestring” by Beryl Drew gives the most beautiful descriptions of Middelburg and the Commercial Hotel. She was a young British woman who came out to South Africa to marry her fiancé, Marcus, (a young British man who had studied Agriculture in the UK and had been based just outside Middelburg at Bowden Hall (now called Rusoord) to learn how to farm in the Karoo. She left England by ship and caught the train from Port Elizabeth to Middelburg. She was picked up at the Middelburg station by a wagon pulled by 2 mules. She describes Middelburg as being very social with tea at 11am (scones/cake) with lots of gossip, a siesta and then teatime again!
Hotel description
“The hotel was a square building encircled by a veranda with a courtyard in the middle from which all the rooms led off. In the centre of this courtyard was a wooden open tread staircase leading to a balcony which went round three sides of the hotel, and off this balcony were the bedrooms.
There was no main drainage or anything so modern. The lavatories simply contained a bucket with a seat over, which was emptied every night. All the houses had the same system. A cart (we called it the dirt cart) came round during the night taking these buckets away and replacing them with clean ones.”
Stop Three: Methodist Church and Gereformeerde Kerk
- Allow for a 15-minute stop
These two churches are side by side on the main street. They were built on the outspan, later to become Market Square. The Reformeerde Kerk is the oldest in South Africa which is still in use. The land was donated by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1862. Built in 1862, it was declared a National Monument in 1979. It is also a Provincial Heritage Site. The building still looks very much as it did although the entrance has been switched around. It still has its original bell.
The original church organ was donated by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1904. Subsequently a new organ was installed in 1949 around the same time a new alter was put in and the old organ was donated to the mission church. The organ pipes are at the front of the church. There is a lot of wood in the church which assists with the good acoustics.
The land for the Methodist Church was donated by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1891. Before the Methodist church was built Middelburg was considered an “outstation” of the Methodist Cradock Circuit. The then Rev John Edwards, would spend days on a circuit, traveling on horseback from one outstation to another where he would visit and preach. The Methodist Church is often referred to as the Weslyan Church after Wesley Collett. This name appears on one of the foundation stones and was due to the long association the Collett family had with Middelburg Methodist Church.
One Guy Fawkes someone tied fish to the bell chord. The bell rang through the night as neighbourhood dogs attempted to get to the fish.
Split in the Church
The Dutch Reformed Church arrived in South Africa in 1652 with Jan van Riebeeck from the Netherlands. When the British took over the Cape Colony ministers form the Netherlands were not keen to come out to what was now a foreign country.
As the Dutch Reformed Church remained the established church of the British Colony the British encouraged Scottish ministers from the Presbyterian Church to come out to South Africa to serve the needs of the Dutch Reformed Church. Many living in the interior had left the Cape to get away from British rule but with the British colony expanding, so did the church. The Scottish ministers were seen as agents of the British government, and they did not trust the church. They felt the church was playing a role in British attempts to annex the Boer Republics.
A minister from the Netherlands (Dirk van der Hoff) went to the Transvaal and became the first minister of a newly established Dutch Reformed Church. Within the newly established church there were religious divisions. The more conservative of the two groups broke away with Dirk Postma and formed the Reformeerde Kerk (congregation often known as the “Doppers”).
In existence there were now 3 churches:
Dutch Reformed Church from the Cape (which later had a revival under Andrew Murray) – NG Kerk
Dutch Reformed Church re-established in the Transvaal – NH Kerk
The Reformed Church broken away from the newly established NH Kerk – GK
Stop Four: The Dutch Reformed Church
During the 1800s community was based around the Church. Towns were planned and built around the church. The Dutch Reformed Church was responsible for the start of Middelburg in 1852. Their church site was picked by Rev Andrew Murray from Graaff Reinet, and the building was complete in 1854. The first Reverend was his son, William Murray. He had just returned from the Netherlands at 23 years of age, where he had been studying theology. He remained in Middelburg until 1865. The original church building does not exist today. You can see the original clock from the church tower in the Middelburg Museum. The tower fell in, and the church had to be rebuilt in.
Stop Five: The Mayor’s Garden
- Make your way to the back of the Mayor’s garden to the gate on the corner of Loop Street and Stockenstroom Street. It is on the corner between the Town Hall and the Magistrate Court. Here you will find the padlock with a code. Please WhatsApp Janine on 082 878 4142 for the code. Please lock the gate behind you and scramble the numbers.
This is where oxen and horses were originally outspanned. It was used especially by farmers who would come into town for church. It was later made into a park with a central pond and was used by the community.
- Wall of remembrance
This wall holds the names of those, from the Middelburg district, who fell during the Anglo-boer war, World War 1, World War 2 and the Bush war. Many of these families remain in the area today. - Steamroller
Middelburg started off taking care of its own roads with 2 wheelbarrows, 2 picks and 6 spades.
In 1938 this steam roller was purchased. It fascinated everyone in the town. It had one operator and then one man to walk up in
front to remove rocks and stones and a second to shovel coal in at the side. In the afternoons there were always school children walking alongside it.
It was later decided that it was too heavy, as it was pushing up the sand making bumps and it was replaced by a grader which was pulled by 2 mules instead. One operator was needed who stood on top and turned the wheels to control the height of the blade.
- Water pump
Middelburg used to have open furrows along the sides of the road to bring water into town and to homes for domestic use. This became a problem because there were always ostriches, pigs and chickens wandering in the roads, so the water was not always clean by the time it reached you. There was also a problem with ladies doing their washing in the furrows. Because of the quality of the water Middelburg became very strict on confiscating clothing being washed as well as stock found in the roads.
On Queen Victorias’s Golden Jubilee in 1887 (50-year reign) she presented Middelburg with this water pump.
- Burger Monument
This monument holds the names of those who fell during the Anglo-Boer war from the Middelburg area.
Hendrik van Heerden was caught by the British at his house on the farm Sewefontein on the 1 March 1901. The following day he was found guilty of treason and was shot dead.
Frikkie Marais was caught on the charges of high treason on the 9 June 1901. He was hung the following day.
Kommandante JC Lotter and PJ Wolfaardt were two of the most wanted rebels. They were captured and sent to Middelburg. (See Stoel Monument)
Middelburg had thousands of British troops arrive in 1900 as a peace keeping force. Soldiers patrolled the mountains and farms around Middelburg. Many of them had brought their families with them and Middelburg, as a town, boomed. There were over 12 000 troops based at Grootfontein.
The Boers began targeting the railways and the British began putting up blockhouses along the railways. They were circular shaped made from corrugated iron with an inner area packed with 4,5 inches of small round pebbles to make it bullet proof. Then a piece of corrugated iron overhead to protect those inside from the weather. There were 8 of these blockhouses built in this area.
The tumult and shouting dies, the captains and the kings depart. Still stands thine ancient sacrifice. A humble and a contrite heart. Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet. Lest we forget, lest we forget.
Rudyard Kipling
Middelburg has a Victoria Street named after Queen Victoria and a Jubilee Street named after her Golden Jubilee.
The Anglo-Boer war 1899 – 1902
The Cape Colony versus Boer Republics (Transvaal & Orange Free State)
Many factors contributed to this war. These are just a few:
- Many people had left the Cape Colony to get away from British rule, but the Cape Colony continued to expand. There was therefore opposition to British rule.
- The discovery of gold, which Britain wanted to control.
- There was friction and politics within the leadership of the two Boer republics.
- Failed Jameson raid whereby the British thought the “uitlanders” living in the Boer Republics would rise up and fight with them. They had lost face and were embarrassed as it was a “botched” raid.
Grootfontein
The British Government purchased Grootfontein in 1902. Thousands of British soldiers were stationed here as “peace keeping” forces. Many died from disease and were buried in the graveyard in town. They remained at Grootfontein until 1910. The original Officers mess still stands today.
Stop Six: The Stoel Monument
- Allow for a 15-minute stop
Kommandante JC Lotter and Lieutenant Pieter J Wolfaard were two of the most wanted rebels In the Cape Colony.
Lotter was known for his hit and run tactics. He burnt houses belonging to loyalists, executed spies and whipped those who he considered traitors.
Colonel Harry Scobell was a British army rebel hunter. He managed to capture Lotter and Wolfaard just south of Graaff Reinet. They had been betrayed by Lewis van Niekerk who gave Scobell their exact location. It was a rainy night, and they were sheltering on a farm called Koppieskraal (between Graaff Reinet and Pearson).
Lotter claimed he was a Free State Citizen but on the day he was captured his citizenship papers mysteriously disappeared which meant that he was tried as a Cape Rebel as opposed to a Free State Citizen. This was unfortunate as he was charged with human rights violations and war crimes and his sentencing would have been more lenient if he was tried as a Free State Citizen.
Wolfaard was his right-hand man.
Both were sent back to Middelburg and the sentencing took place in front of the Reformed Church in Market Square. Middelburg town closed for the day and everyone in Middelburg attended the sentencing. Both were sentenced to death.
Lotter was marched up Richmond Road, tied to a chair and shot.
Three days later Wolfaard was given the same sentence. They were buried in the same place where they had been shot at the Stoel Monument. They were dug up 6 years later and their graves can be found in the graveyard in town.
Why were they seated and tied to a stoel to be shot?
Nobody knows for sure. There could be numerous reasons for this:
- They had been badly beaten/had sustained other injuries and could not stand.
- To keep them still and unable to run away.
Stop Seven: The Poor School – Now the Middelburg Museum
- Allow for 45 minutes to an hour here.
- There is an entrance fee of R5 per person.
Prior to 1852 formal education did not exist in Middelburg. Farmers would hire teachers to travel with them to teach their children writing, bible study and maths.
The Poor School started in 1898 with 86 learners. It was originally started in the town hall until the NG Kerk built the first school building. The first principal was Mr Jan Vorster. The staff consisted of him and an assistant. They received half the salary that teachers at the public school received. The school continued to grow, and a second building was added in 1906. By 1914 the Poor School had more children than the Public School. In 1920 the school was closed and amalgamated with the Public School with a total of 280 students. This caused much controversy in the community as many did not want their children to attend school with the poorer children. The Poor School was then used for Sub A, Sub B and Standard 1. Many of Middelburg’s older generation still recall going to this school.
English classes were one side and Afrikaans classes on the other.
It was later used by the high school for woodwork classes, home economics and much later for storage.
In 1983 it was purchased by the municipality for a museum. This was instigated by Mr Hendrik Coetzee, Middelburg’s local historian and author.
Tom McNaughton was one of the last of these travelling teachers. He was also an artist and some of his artwork can be seen on the walls of the Middelburg Museum.
Stop Eight: Karel Theron
Suggestion Stop in front of the main building on Victoria Street. Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings in Middelburg.
In 1880 Mr David Wilcocks started a private school with 10 children. By the end of the year, he had 100 children.
His sister, Miemie Wilcocks helped him, and they hired the town hall for R1 per month as their own facilities were too small. They taught English, Dutch, Maths, Geography and European History. Morning lessons were done in English, and the afternoon lessons were done in Afrikaans. It was called the Middelburg School.
In 1882 it became a government school, and a building was provided (where the magisterial buildings are today). This was used until 1908 when it was changed to government offices.
In 1886 Mr Willcocks left to study to become a priest, and his post was taken over for a short while by Mr Pretorius.
It was in 1887 that Karel Theron took over as principal.
Karel Theron worked unbelievably hard and gave extra lessons every afternoon, building the school up. The school became known as “Middelburg Public School” Learners had to pay school fees. He never took time off. Only occasionally he would saddle up a horse, call his dog and disappear into the veld for the day.
The number of students kept increasing and the school was too small. It was then they built Karel Theron in 1908.
By 1920 Karel Theron had 762 students and was the biggest school in the Cape.
Sir Herbert Baker
A world-renowned architect. He claims many of South African beautiful buildings including the Union Buildings in Pretoria, many famous schools and churches. He was very popular during the late 1800s and early 1900s and there are many beautiful farm homesteads in the Middelburg area which are his work. No-one knows who the architect for Karel Theron was. If it was not Sir Herbert Baker’s work, it is certainly a copy of his work.
It is very similar to the Dutch Reformed Church in Molteno (coincidently the Molteno brothers were acquaintances of Cecil Rhodes who in turn was good friends with Sir Herbert Baker).
The typical style of Sir Herbert Baker:
- Arches
- Symmetry
- Turrets on the roof
- Use of local materials in the base of the building
- Use of tiles
Only teachers used the front entrance. Girls went in on the left and boys went in on the right. The hall was at the centre at the back.
The toilets were bucket toilets, and a cart came around daily to empty the buckets.
Why did Sir Herbert Baker make use of roof turrets?
He used them to add a sense of grandeur based on medieval castles. They also break up the monotony of the building and are aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
They do have a functional purpose which is for ventilation. They allow for the circulation of air within the building.
Stop Nine: Anglican Church
Allow for a 5 min stop
Anglican services were originally held in the old Magistrate’s Court building in Smid Street. This church was the second Anglican Church built in the area. The first was built by John Sweet Distin on Tafelberg Farm. The land in Middelburg Town was donated by the Dutch Reformed Church in 1894 and the church was complete in 1896.
The sanctuary, chancel and vestry were added in 1940 by Mr WC Turpin as a memorial to those who fell in World War 1. This included his brother Lt C Turpin. St Barnabus Anglican Church still has the original bell standing outside.
St Lawrence was the first Anglican Church built in the area in 1894. It was built by John Sweet Distin on the Tafelberg Road. It is still in use today.
Stop Ten: The Old Graveyard
- Allow for a 15 to 20 min stop to wander through the graves.
Lotter and Wolfaard
They were originally buried at the stoel monument where they were executed. Later their bodies were dug up and buried in this graveyard.
Rev John Bennie
A Scottish Missionary, Xhosa linguist and founder of the first coloured school on Driefontein Farm.
Parents of Tom Naude
Tom Naude was born in Middelburg in 1929. He was the acting South African president for 10 months from 1967 to 1968. His parents are both buried in this graveyard.
British Soldiers
British Soldiers are buried at the back of the graveyard.
They were mainly from the 3rd and 4th Battalions of the Manchester Regiment and were based at Grootfontein. Many married officers brought their wives and children along with them. There were over 12 000 soldiers based here, and conditions made it easy for diseases to sweep through. None of these British soldier graves were soldiers who fell in battle but rather those that succumbed to disease.
John Sweet Distin
He was called the “Lion of Colesberg”.
In 1846 a 20-year-old John Sweet Distin was on route, with his family, back to the UK from New Zealand. As their ship was leaving Table Bay, in the Cape, he decided he would rather try his luck in South Africa than go back to England, so he jumped ship. He literally jumped overboard and swam to shore.
He worked as a soldier and fought in the frontier wars and then became a trader. He ended up in the Graaff Reinet district and had made enough money to buy land.
He purchased the farm Tafelberg Hall, just outside of Middelburg.
He was elected as a member of parliament, representing Middelburg and Colesburg districts. He became known as the Lion of Colesberg because he had a big mane-like beard.
He was a passionate advocate for stock fencing and eventually lost his seat in parliament because of his persistence. He was a pioneer in livestock management and veld rejuvenation as well as animal health.
He decided to fence his own farmer and hired an Australian to come do it for him. He used sneezewood poles which are now a provincial monument and can still be seen along the road. He was ahead of his time because the fencing act was only passed years later.
He set up a model farm on Tafelberg and farmed sheep, ostriches and cattle.
With the collapse of the ostrich industry and having 11 children who spent his money, he eventually had to sell. One story goes that he sent some of his children down to Cape Town to sell stock and they never came back with a cheque, instead they hired out Mount Nelson Hotel (which is coincidentally is one of Sir Herbert Baker’s buildings) and hosted the party of all parties.
Shearing sheds which were built in 1861 – originally used for ostrich plucking are still present on the farm today.
The Granary/Mill and wall carrying aqueduct also built in 1861 – water carried to the wheel and ground wheat. No longer in use but can still be seen.
He sold the farm to Robert Struben.
Robert Stuben had made his money on the Witwatersrand gold reef, and he demolished Distin’s house and hired Sir Herbert Baker, who had just completed work on Cecil Rhodes’ house, to build the new house.
The information and photographs used for the Self-guided history tour are from personal communication with Mr Hennie B Coetzee and from his book “Middelburg Hede en Verlede”.
Appreciation and thanks given to the late Mr Hennie Coetzee for his time and incredible knowledge.
