Barberton, Mpumalanga

Barberton, Mpumalanga, South Africa (coord|25|47|S|31|03|E|) is situated in the De Kaap Valley and is surrounded by the Mkhonjwa Mountains. It is 43km south of Nelspruit and 360km to the east of Johannesburg.

History

Prehistoric

The mountains around Barberton are the oldest in the world dating back 3.5 Billion years, and these mountains include some of the oldest exposed rocks on the planet (only rocks from Isua Greenstone belt in Western Greenland are older). These volcanic rocks, which scientists call the Barberton Greenstone Belt, have given up direct evidence of conditions of life on the surface of the very early earth.

The first form of life on earth, a bacterial micro fossil "Archaeospheroides barbertonis" was discovered here and has been identified as being 3.2 billion years old.

Gold

to the area.

On June 21 1884, Graham Barber wrote a letter to the State Secretary to inform him that he and his two cousins Fred and Harry discovered payable gold on state land where the Umvoti Creek entered the De Kaap valley. The State Secretary then asked the Magistrate in Lydenburg to investigate the matter and for David Wilson, the Gold Commissioner, to submit a report. Wilson investigated on July 24 1884 and declared the township of Barberton.

At first it was just a simple mining camp but grew when Edwin Bray, a prospector discovered gold in the hills above Barberton in 1885 and with 14 partners started the Sheba Reef Gold Mining Company.

Large amounts of money flowed into Barberton and the first Stock Exchange to operate in the then Transvaal opened its doors. More buildings were erected, billiard saloons and music halls established. The Criterion and Royal Standard hotels were opened.

Barberton flourished for only a brief period and soon the inhabitants began to move away to the newly discovered gold fields on the Reef.

ongimvelo Nature Reserve

This reserve is situated in the Barberton Mountain lands and is the Mpumalanga Parks Board's largest reserve, extending over 500 square kilometers.

Trivia

* The British built a concentration camp here during the Boer War to house Boer women and children.
* Sheba mine is today one of the oldest and richest working gold mines in the world, having been in production for more than a century. It is estimated that production will continue for several decades to come.
* Barberton was home to Sir Percy Fitzpatrick, author of Jock of the Bushveld.
* A flower, the Barberton Daisy ("Gerbera jamesoni") was discovered here in 1889 by Robert Jameson.
* Barberton (or, at least, a depiction of Barberton) is heavily featured in Bryce Courtenay's novel "The Power of One," as the main character's hometown.

chools

High Schools

* Barberton High School
* Emjindini High School
* Lowveld High School
* Uplands College

Primary Schools

* Barberton Primary School

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=-25.776157,31.032600&spn=0.059279,0.080316&t=k&hl=en Google Map]
* [http://www.barbertonmanor.com Barberton Manor] - Guest house website with comprehensive information on the area and its history (gold, geology).
* [http://www.gerbera.org Gerbera.org] - Official website of the Gerbera Association - established in Barberton.
* [http://www.barberton.co.za/, Barberton Community Tourism] - One of Barberton's websites.
* [http://www.barbertonairfield.co.za Barberton Valley Airfield] - Aviation gateway into Barberton and the surrounding area.