A young man who brought light and love to Beaufort West In 1883. He was a Mr Boye and in September, that year he “imported” an electric lamp and had it installed outside his shop.   Dolly dug about in her … Continue reading →

The excitement of a Karoo wedding day is electric. The ‘jolly host’ troops out to welcome each arrival, each new horse or cart, explains BA in the December, 1859, issue of The Cape Monthly Magazine. “All young men are ushered … Continue reading →

To attain the status of married bliss on the frontier it was essential, said BA,  for a young man to observe a few formalities. This young man, who simply called himself BA wrote in the December, 1859 issue of The … Continue reading →

In 1859 a young Swellendam man was invited to a Karoo wedding.  He was not one of those who fell instantly in love with the area. In fact, he called it “unique in its ugliness and wanting in everything to … Continue reading →

Modern communications is not all it’s cracked up to be.   Over a bad cellphone line the name of the man who made the windows of the Sacred Heart Catholic Cathedral in Bloemfontein sounded like Leonardus Albertus. ”It is in fact … Continue reading →

Post cart travel had little to recommend it according to John Widdicombe, a mid-nineteenth century traveler.  He described the carts as looking like a square water tank with rails on two wheels. “The mailman stored mailbags inside the tank and, … Continue reading →

In 1883 a steamer, shipped from Cape Town, arrived at Beaufort West station. Locals watched incredulously as bits and pieces of this 11m long steel-hulled ship, its 4kW engine and two propellers, were off-loaded, then packed and lashed onto two … Continue reading →