Bethulie
Encyclopedia
Bethulie is a small sheep and cattle
farming town in the Free State
province of South Africa
. The name meaning chosen by God was given by directors of a mission station in 1829 which the town formed around. The mission building is the oldest settler built building still standing in the Free State. The town was also home to one of the largest concentration camps run by the British
during the Boer War
.
The first land dwellers to be active in the Bethulie region were the Bushmen
, whose various drawings are still in existence in the area. In 1828 a mission station was established by the London Missionary Society for the local people, the San Bushman. It was originally known as Groot Moordenaars Poort (Murderers Pass) after a very vicious clash between the Sotho and Griqua tribes. In 1832 the missionary Jean Pierre Pellissier, whose home is one of the oldest pioneer buildings north of the Orange River, replaced the London missionaries. It now houses a historical museum displaying items of the past and information on the life and trial of Jean Pellissier and Chief Lephoi and his people. Until 1833 Bethulie was known as Caledon (after the nearby Caledon River). This name was in conflict with a Western Cape town bearing the same name. Then in 1833 a French Missionary Society, the "Paris Missionary Society" took over control of the area and renamed the mission station Bethulua, meaning "Place of Worship”. In 1835 it was renamed Verheullpolis and in 1863 the town was established and renamed Heidelberg. In 1872 the town was again renamed to Bethulie after the original mission station. The original mission building is still located in Bethulie. It is one of the oldest remaining dwellings built by European settlers. It was built by the Rev. Jean-Pierre Pellissier, the first French missionary to be stationed there, and is currently home to the Pellissier House Museum. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899 to 1902) the third largest concentration camp erected by the British was also situated in Bethulie.
The D.H. Steyn Bridge or Hennie Steyn Bridge is beautiful arched bridge near the town of Bethulie, it is a combined road and rail bridge which spans the Orange River just outside Bethulie. It is 1,152 m (1,260 yds) long, and 51.5m high and thereby the longest bridge in South Africa. It is also claimed to be the longest in the southern hemisphere.
Its most famous son was Patrick Mynhardt
, whose one-man shows featuring Herman Charles Bosman
's character Oom Schalk Lourens were very popular in South Africa. His autobiographical show Boy from Bethulie formed the basis for a book of the same name.
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
farming town in the Free State
Free State
The Free State is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Orange Free State Boer republic and later Orange Free State Province. The current borders of the province date from 1994 when the Bantustans...
province of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The name meaning chosen by God was given by directors of a mission station in 1829 which the town formed around. The mission building is the oldest settler built building still standing in the Free State. The town was also home to one of the largest concentration camps run by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during the Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
.
A brief history of Bethulie
Evidence of life was found to be dated to 250 Million years ago in the form of fossils.The first land dwellers to be active in the Bethulie region were the Bushmen
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
, whose various drawings are still in existence in the area. In 1828 a mission station was established by the London Missionary Society for the local people, the San Bushman. It was originally known as Groot Moordenaars Poort (Murderers Pass) after a very vicious clash between the Sotho and Griqua tribes. In 1832 the missionary Jean Pierre Pellissier, whose home is one of the oldest pioneer buildings north of the Orange River, replaced the London missionaries. It now houses a historical museum displaying items of the past and information on the life and trial of Jean Pellissier and Chief Lephoi and his people. Until 1833 Bethulie was known as Caledon (after the nearby Caledon River). This name was in conflict with a Western Cape town bearing the same name. Then in 1833 a French Missionary Society, the "Paris Missionary Society" took over control of the area and renamed the mission station Bethulua, meaning "Place of Worship”. In 1835 it was renamed Verheullpolis and in 1863 the town was established and renamed Heidelberg. In 1872 the town was again renamed to Bethulie after the original mission station. The original mission building is still located in Bethulie. It is one of the oldest remaining dwellings built by European settlers. It was built by the Rev. Jean-Pierre Pellissier, the first French missionary to be stationed there, and is currently home to the Pellissier House Museum. During the Anglo-Boer War (1899 to 1902) the third largest concentration camp erected by the British was also situated in Bethulie.
Historic timeline
- 1777: R.J. Gordon reached the Groot river approximately 10 kilometers from the current Bethulie; he named the river the Oranje river. Mr. Gordon also noted in his drawings of the veldt and his surroundings that he noticed 6 BushmenBushmenThe indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
. - 1803: Governor J.W. Janssens traveled to the current location of Bethulie.
- 1809: Colonel R. Collins reached the convergence of both the Caledon and Oranje rivers, he is also credited for the Caledon River's name.
- 1823: G.P.N. Coetsee noted that during his travels in the area he only noticed BushmenBushmenThe indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
and no other settlements nor indigenous people. - 1828-1833: Missionary work within the Bushman community was undertaken by J. Clark and G.A. Kolbe.
- 1833-1867: Missionary work within the Tihaping community was under taken by J.P. Pellissier.
- 1860-1863: During 1860 farmers bought 6000 morgen (A morgen was a unit of measurement of land in Germany, the Netherlands and the Dutch colonies, including South Africa) from the Tihaping to be officially proclaimed a town with the name of Heidelberg.
The D.H. Steyn Bridge or Hennie Steyn Bridge is beautiful arched bridge near the town of Bethulie, it is a combined road and rail bridge which spans the Orange River just outside Bethulie. It is 1,152 m (1,260 yds) long, and 51.5m high and thereby the longest bridge in South Africa. It is also claimed to be the longest in the southern hemisphere.
Its most famous son was Patrick Mynhardt
Patrick Mynhardt
Patrick Beattie Mynhardt was a well known South African film and theatre actor. He appeared in over 150 stage plays in South Africa and England, 100 local and international films, TV plays and serials as well as an opera...
, whose one-man shows featuring Herman Charles Bosman
Herman Charles Bosman
Herman Charles Bosman is the South African writer widely regarded as South Africa's greatest short story writer. He studied the works of Edgar Alan Poe and Mark Twain, and developed a style emphasizing the use of irony...
's character Oom Schalk Lourens were very popular in South Africa. His autobiographical show Boy from Bethulie formed the basis for a book of the same name.