Bathurst Agricultural Museum
"Today's Machinery is Tomorrow's History"
The frontier country of the 1820 Settler's was a harsh land, beautiful in rainy seasons, but heart-breaking in drought and this was where the Settlers had to "take root and grow or die where they stood" (quotation of Henry Hare Dugmore, one of the leaders of the 1820 Settler's)
The Museum is a tribute to their courage and entrepreneurship
WHAT IS THIS!!!
Please help is identify this item donated by Tubby Milne
GEOFF W PALMER
Founder Member & Chairman 1790 - 1988
In 1970, a small group of people interested in preserving the heritage of agriculture in the Eastern Cape, formed a committee to establish a home for the many valuable items which would otherwise be lost forever
Starting with a mere 30 items, the collection has grown to more than 1400, many of which are both rare and unique and all of which have been donated
There
is something of interest for everyone as the collection ranges from ox-wagons,
horse drawn vehicles, agricultural implements and tractors, steam engines, dairy
and household utensils, veterinary equipment, ostrich incubators to name but a
few of the exciting exhibits the Museum has to offer!
97 transport items including 9 carts and 4 wagons
A few of the 81 tractors
The collection also includes 14 crawlers
Stationary
Steam Engine
Used for sawing, pumping and driving threshing machinery
Used up until 1930
One of the 11 buggies!
This is a 4 wheeled cart known as a "Spider"
93 dairy items and
195 household items
Seen here is an old English Milk Cart (right side)
Open
Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm, Sunday 3 - 4pm or by appointment
Contact the Curator, Allan Town at 072 408 4858
or e-mail us at
The first week of 2004 saw the completion of the giant 19 x 7 metre mural on the walls of the Museum. The design, layout and the lions share of the hard work was done by Anna Woolf, who together with a number teenagers volunteered their time and skills to compete the eye catching murals with their 3D effect
Johan, the caretaker of the Museum at the time says there has been a marked increase in visitors since the painting started. Delighted with the murals, he told visitors, "she really knows how to bend a wall!"
