A short, but long overdue, visit the
Vryburg Museum. It is situated on the N14 to Kuruman. The original wall
of the goal that was built in 1887 is incorporated in the building and
the masoned stones from the old demolished Town Hall were used to build
the rest of the building which is the entrance to the Leon Taljaard
Game Reserve. This building houses a museum and a Bio-museum.
Louis Botha
The silver trowel as bestowed to our family member.
The bell of the now-demolished townhall
Vryburg,
or “Fort of Freedom”, was established in 1882 as the capital of a short-lived
independent republic called Stellaland, established by Boers escaping the
clutches of the British in the Cape Colony. Just two years later the Stellaland
become part of the Cape Colony. It’s located on the banks of the Huhudi River.
The plaque commemorates the Stellaland era. The original flag of the Stellaland
Republic is not on display. Van Niekerk’s house was situated on the piece of
land where the Pick and Pay parking is now.
I
remember preparing food for the thousands of Angolan Portuguese refugees
passing through Vryburg in 1974. They were frightened & exhausted. They
weren’t walking though but drove trucks carrying their families and possessions
from Angola. A transit camp was set up in the veld at the old goal wall. There,
the refugees could wash and rest for a while or sleepover. They were given
water, food & essentials. Remember that there was a Red Cross tent treating
minor injuries and ailments & tending to exhausted mothers with hungry
& over-tired babies & toddlers. I remember clearly the pain of
exhaustion & anguish and the loss of self-respect in their eyes.
Today
there is a small mention of this happening. The memorial seems to be
incomplete.
Reg
van Toegang
Direito
de AdmissiaoVryburg
03-04-1992
Vryburg
was once used as a concentration camp by the British during the Boer War. The
gatehouse was built on the former Boer War prison and where prisoners captured
by the British forces were incarcerated.
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The plaque that commemorates the
prisoners that were executed here should be at the museum but we could not find
it due to the long grass that is growing around the building.
Copyright
Johan Viktor via eGGSA
Google
Earth Project Information:-
GPSID:
4413
GPS:
Not available
|
We were
met by Jennifer Lecholo. An energetic young lady who was giving her best to
help us during our visit. There are two exhibit areas a Bio-museum where you
will find a lot of stuffed animals that were not up to our alley and the
museum.
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| We love the rock engravings from Kinderdam the farm where we spend lots of fond memories visiting Uncle Alfie & Aunt Nellie Fincham. There is a small display with no information on the Koi-san. |
The
museum is small but we were charmed by the displays. Unfortunately, there is no
information available and our guide is still new on the premises. It sheds some
light on the town’s economic and social history.
Feeding troughs made at Armoedsvlakte for the experimental on
lamsiekte. The cattle have chewed the sides in their need for minerals.
The silver trowel as bestowed to our family member.
The
Townhall now demolished
The old
Gentleman’s Club that was later utilized as police quarters.
The
Stellaland Flag should be on display in the Townhall is the original flag of
the short-lived Stellaland Republic. Its history includes having been presented
to Queen Victoria as a gift and hanging in Windsor Castle until 1934 when King
George V returned it to Vryburg. The museum curator could not help with the
location of the flag.
Till
next time
Sandra and Hennie
