SOUTH-AFRICA-L Archives

Archiver > SOUTH-AFRICA > 1997-12 > 0881086995


From: Delia Robertson <>
Subject: Re: VOGELFONTEIN
Date: Tue, 02 Dec 1997 10:23:15 -0800


Colin van Blerk wrote:
>
> Greetings all
>
> Can anyone identify the place "Vogelfontein", believed to be in the
> Boksburg area?
>
> Thanks
>
> Colin
The following, about Boksburg in 1903, was faxed to me by the Boksburg
Publicity Office. Its from publicity material they have produced on the
history of Boksburg. Vogelfontein is the name of one of the original
farms on which the town was built. Part of the farm was purchased or
expropriated for development but other parts continue to be farmed to
the present. Vogelfontein is on the western part of the town, abutting
on the Boksburg lake wall, and between the town centre and the ERPM
mine.. My map shows the area is now called Plantation.

Follows the excerpt from the page of publicity material:

Bar, the wood arid iron assembly hall in Station Street, the wood and
iron municipal office and Council chamber in Smit Street (now Rondebult
Road) and close to the dam wall of the lake the stone gaol building.

Vogelfontein
Across the dam wall towards Johannesburg was the western pant of the
town known as Vogelfontein, comprising, in addition to houses, the
Government office building which included the Magistrates court
overlooking President Square (also with its tennis court) and close by
the Transvaal Hotel and the Police Station, both close to Vogelfonteir
Railway Station. According to census figures at the time, there were
in Boksburg and Vogelfontein 422 occupied and 31 unoccupied buildings
and 7 in course of building. All along the north side of the railway
line but some distance from it was an overhead electric power line from
the Brakpan coal fields to Johannesburg.

Recreation and Entertainment
Concerts and musical performances were frequent and there was a Town
Brass band, while on the side there was tennis, cricket, hockey, soccer,
cycling, athletics, yachting, rowing and
swimming championships on Boksburg Lake. A Literary and Debating
Society was active and lectures by visiting speakers were popular.
Serving the town were printers, chemists,
plumbers, builders, carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers, millers and many
other trades and occupations.

Various churches, such as the Dutch Reformed, Anglican, Presbyterian,
Methodist and Catholic served the community but not all of them had been
built by then. There was as yet no synagogue built to serve the Jewish
community but services were held in a small wood arrri iron shut ott
the corner of Hoofd and ManIa-go Streets.

There was no high school in the town and primary education was
apparently confined to a school conducted by a Mrs Ziervogel. The only
newspaper at the time was tIre East Rand
Express, published every Satcrrday by George Constable with William
Hills as editor, covering all the towns on the East Rand and not only
Boksburg - Its motto was: "Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in
malice,"

Population Figures
The population of Boksburg and Vogelfontein at the end of 1903 was 1 850
of which were were 750 white 55 males, 467 white females, 344 native
males, 56 native females, 28 other coloured males and 6 other coloured
females. 364 were under and 1 286 were over 15 years of age, while the
ERPM and Driefontein areas had 1 752 under and 19677 over 15.
Leeuwpoont had 1 195 people in all, Total population in the area was
thus 24 274.

On the higher levels of Government, neither the Provincial
Administrations nor the Union Government had come into existence and all
Health Boards and municipal councils were controlled by the
Lieutenant-Governor of the Transvaal Colony.
This, in short, was the Boksburg of 1903.

That's it Colin. Hope it helps. Delia Robertson.

This thread: