Philippolis is a small 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...

. It was founded as a missionary outpost for the Bushman

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...

 in 1823, making it the oldest settlement in the Free State. It was named after John Philip

John Philip (missionary)

Dr John Philip , was a missionary in South Africa. Philip was born at Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland to a local schoolmaster...

 of the London Missionary Society

London Missionary Society

The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...

. Adam Kok II, a Griqua leader, settled here with his people in 1826 and was made the protector of the mission. However, Kok and his followers killed all the Bushmen at the Mission Station.

Kok's son Adam Kok III

Adam Kok III

Adam Kok III was a leader of the Griqua people in South Africa .The son of Adam Kok II, he grew up and was educated in the town of Philippolis in Transorangia...

 and his followers later migrated across the Drakensberg

Drakensberg

The Drakensberg is the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, rising to in height. In Zulu, it is referred to as uKhahlamba , and in Sesotho as Maluti...

 mountains to settle in Kokstad

Kokstad

Kokstad may refer to:*Kokstad, Norway*Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa...

. The writer and intellectual Sir Laurens van der Post

Laurens van der Post

Sir Laurens Jan van der Post, CBE was a 20th century Afrikaner author of many books, farmer, war hero, political adviser to British heads of government, close friend of Prince Charles, godfather of Prince William, educator, journalist, humanitarian, philosopher, explorer, and...

was born in Philippolis. Today the town is becoming a popular tourist destination because of its historical value, architecture and rural lifestyle.