This year we have decided to theme the monthly travel info mailers and are kicking off the January 2025 mailer with a Karoo Heartland Museums edition.

The Karoo Heartland has some exceptional museums and in this edition, we’re highlighting five of them. To view a list of all the museums in the region, visit the Karoo Heartland Museums page.

This month we feature the following:

• Reinet House in Graaff-Reinet

• Great Fish River Museum in Cradock

• Somerset East Old Parsonage Museum in Somerset East

• Owl House in Nieu-Bethesda

• Middelburg Cultural History Museum in Middelburg Karoo

If there is something that you would like to see featured in our monthly travel mailer or have any suggestions, please drop us an email at jonker@fireflyafrica.co.za

Reinet House – Graaff-Reinet

The Graaff-Reinet Museum or “Reinet House”, formerly a Dutch Reformed Church parsonage, was built in 1812 during the ministry of the Rev. Kicherer. It was the home of three ministers before 1822, the year in which the Rev. Andrew Murray, from Aberdeenshire, Scotland, became the resident minister. After his death in 1866 the parsonage was occupied by his son Charles until his death in 1904. By 1906 the building was being used as a boarding establishment for girls wishing to train as teachers, and it was then that the late Miss Helen Murray, a sister of Rev. Charles Murray, and for many years principal of the Midland Seminary, named the house “Reinet House”.

In 1944 the building became unoccupied, and started falling into despair. The Graaff-Reinet Publicity Association bought it from the D. R. Church In 1947 and restoration work started. The museum was officially opened in 1956.

Reinet House, a fine example of a Cape H-plan house, may have been designed by Louis M. Thibault who designed the Drostdy at Graaff-Reinet. Much of the building material was acquired locally.

The museum contains the history of The Murray Family who occupied the house for more than 80 years, the Laubscher doll collection, period furniture, a mill house with water wheel, a grapevine planted in 1870 and a Withond distillery.

Great Fish River Museum – Cradock

The Great Fish River Museum in Cradock is dedicated to showcasing the history of the hard lives led by pioneer settlers in the area dating back to the early 1800s.  The museum is located behind the town hall / municipal buildings and is housed in the second Dutch Reformed Church Parsonage, built in 1849. The building was declared a national monument in 1971.

The museum collection dates from 1630 – 2000. An Ox wagon, different horse carts and old hearses are on view. Displays in the main building show the history of Cradock, the 1820 Settlers and Voortrekkers while a new addition to the main building is a photographic display of Nelson Mandela and his life in the struggle. Also on the premises, The Cradock Four Gallery comprises a text and photo display on the history of these well-known activists.

The museum houses the organ played at Paul Kruger’s baptism and copies of his christening certificate. Copies of the Midland News (Cradock’s local newspaper) printed on silk dating back to 3 September 1912 are also found here.

Somerset East Museum – Somerset East

The Somerset East Museum is nestled at the foot of the Boschberg Mountain and is one of the oldest buildings in town.

Wesleyan missionaries were given a site for a chapel and graveyard, and the chapel was consecrated in 1828.  In July 1832 the property was transferred to the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk of Somerset and by 1834 Ds. Morgan asked that the chapel be converted into a parsonage for him to live in. The ground floor took on its present design; namely sitting room, passage, and dining room. An upper floor was added, with two large bedrooms. Fireplaces were built in all four main rooms, and yellowwood floors were installed. Two wings were added, one a kitchen and one a study.

The museum is laid out mostly as a residence to depict the lives of the Dutch Reformed Church ministers that resided in the house, but some additional exhibits have been added to include a more rounded history of the area and all its people. One of these exhibits focuses on the Slagtersnek rebellion.

In 1971, the building, held to be “an exquisite example of a Georgian manor house, was made available as a museum.  The Museum was inaugurated during the celebration of Somerset East’s 150th anniversary in 1975.

Some interesting discoveries made during the restoration included the tiny grave, complete with headstone, found when damaged floorboards were being replaced in the sitting room. This bears the inscription – Sacred to the memory of Alexander Thomas, son of Rev. S.J.H. Kay, who died on 8th May 1828, aged 12 months.

Owl House – Nieu-Bethesda

The Owl House in Nieu-Bethesda is a work of outsider art created by Helen Martins between 1945 and 1976. Driven to despair by the dullness of her daily life, she took steps to transform her world with light, colour and texture. Helen used cement, glass and wire to decorate her home, and later built sculptures in her garden. In 1964, she was joined by Koos Malgas who helped her construct the sculptures of owls, camels, and people.

After years of her eyes being exposed to fine crushed glass, her eyes began to fail, causing her to commit suicide by ingesting caustic soda in 1976 at the age of 78. According to her wishes, the Owl House has been kept intact as a museum and declared a provincial national monument in 1991.

A procession of camels and wise men are making their way “east”. The caravan is in fact traveling north to south and not true east. Helen has written the words “East/Oos” on the boundary fence, creating a place where the sun and moon rise and the direction in which men turn to in prayer. The whole of the Owl House and Camel Yard is filled with many stories and themes, inspired by books and images. Welcome to Helen’s Mecca.

Middelburg Museum – Middelburg

The Middelburg Museum Association was founded in 1983 with the prospect of establishing its own museum. The former poor school, which later became the preparatory school, was unused. The association persuades the municipality to buy it from the Department of Education. The museum was officially opened on 30 November 1985 with Mrs Hettie v d Walt as the first curator. She was previously involved in museums in Graaff-Reinet.

The Middelburg Cultural History Museum is housed in the old school building partially built out of stone. It displays the history of Middelburg and the surrounding areas and also houses an internationally renowned collection of San artefacts, currently on display in the Bushman cave.

The museum should be the first stop for anyone who wants to understand Middelburg.