A heart for parentless children
The plight of parentless children in Potchefstroom was never more acute than after the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902). When the Potchefstroom concentration camp officially closed on 6 February 1903 a large number of destitute orphans were left behind. My article on the...
Jurie Schoeman – larger than life
For the people of his generation, he was a larger than life character. He was known for his business acumen and outspokenness, but also as an unintentional instigator of the movement to preserve the heritage of Potchefstroom. He is Jurie Schoeman. During the 1970s the...
The Potchefstroom Library – more than a century of service to the community
In the Potchefstroom Herald of 13 June 2024 it was reported that Potchefstroom had been without a library for three weeks from 17 May to 7 June 2024. This happened after its computer system was shut down due to the fact that through an oversight the municipality did...
Theological School complex – heavy with history
Today this row of Edwardian buildings show their backyards to Molen Street and the grandeur of the combined facades of the four stately buildings are hidden from view. This is the Theological School complex standing on the eastern side of Molen Street between Esselen...
1932 Leeudoringstad explosion of 320 tons of dynamite
This story is not about Potchefstroom history, but it is worth telling. It is about one of the largest explosions that occurred in South Africa and it was on 17 July 1932 at Leeudoringstad. The tenuous connection with Potchefstroom is that a report on the conclusions...
Gunpowder magazine – small but strong
Nowadays it is a very humble building, standing in a place where it does not make any sense. Hundreds of travellers pass it every day where it stands next to the on-ramp to the N12 from Potchindustria, presumably not knowing what it is. This is the gunpowder magazine...
Nederduitsh Hervormde Church – oldest church is a historic gem
Deeply imbedded in their Christian beliefs, the Voortrekkers, or immigrants as they called themselves, wanted to have their own church building as soon as they started settling in Potchefstroom. The building of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church of Potchefstroom in...
1 Calderbank Lane – 82 years old, but more beautiful than ever
If Potchefstroom was a medieval town in Europe, the Tudor-style residence in Calderbank Lane near the Dam would be its manor house or castle. Built in 1942 by a well-known businessmen of Potchefstroom, Mr Hugh Calderbank, this Tudor-style house, right next to the...
Siege of the Potchefstroom Fort – a story of sorrow from long ago
The misfortune of more than 320 people who for almost three months were trapped in an area of 25 X 25 m (440m), is one of the great heart-breaking stories of Potchefstroom. It was during the First War of Independence (1880-1881). The event is known as the Siege of the...
New Year’s Eve murder
Potchefstroom experienced its post festive season slump in the first week of January 1913, 101 years ago, when a Special Edition of the Potchefstroom Herald shocked the residents from their stupor. I wrote an article about this for the Centenary Edition of the Herald,...