Pete Smith Cottage.

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Anyone heard of Pete Smiths Cottage,

Hi Pete
Can't say I've heard of it , or remember hearing of it might be more to the point ! . Below Talana Hill today is where the Dundee Museum is located , it's quite a large place , with several buildings and lots of lawn , trees , flowers etc and pathways , excellent place to visit , especially the house which contains their AZW display / collection , it's outstanding .
90th

Still there Gary. Mark it up for a visit on the next trip, left hand side as you go through the gate, just before the bend.

The Smith cottage provides an evocative picture of the lives of the hardy pioneer farmers. A founder of Dundee,
Peter Smith, farmed and mined coal on this site. His restored home and farm buildings house cultural, agricultural and transport displays.
Tom and Peter built this simple cottage in 1859. The land, 3000 acres, had been bought from a Voortrekker, Mr Dekker. The brothers lived by exploiting the clay and coal deposits of the valley, Tom brickmaking and building, and Peter, farming and mining coal from Talana hill. Their products were sent to Pietermaritzburg by ox wagon, where they were sold.

In 1882 Peter developed the town of Dundee "Proper" on a portion of his farm.

hahahahahah Thanks Frank , I've no doubt at least seen it then !! , still can't remember reading of it , been to Talana Museum several times and looked through all of the buildings that were open to the public , will no doubt go back there next time I'm over , need to meet up with Pam M and collect some papers . Very early for you ? .
90th

Morning Gary, been out running/walking/hobbling. Like to get the excersize out of the way early before people start crowding.
G-d knows when we will ever get back there mate.

Hi Frank
Had a book arrive last week on the battle of Talana with Medal roll , I see Smith's farm is mentioned in the book , no doubt the cottage was his residence on the farm land . Still can't remember reading of it in 1879 , will have to certainly check it out with more than a cursory glance when I next visit Talana .
90th

Do a google, he virtually started Dundee, Talana was his farm. Theres some really interesting tit bits on line including mentions of Mcphail bragging at the bar of his escape

Hi Frank
Our posts crossed , yes that's a good idea , get out early before the masses , I do the same thing . Yes it's a worrying time , we had another 190 or so cases overnight here in Victoria , the Govt is expecting high numbers as we are doing somewhere in the region of 20,000 tests a day here in Melb , if not more ! . To me it seems we've gone back to where we were in March , I doubt there will be any travel for me to SA until the middle of next year at best ! . Bloody Covid 19 , stuffing everything up !
90th

Damn sure youve been in it without possibly realising.
Have a look
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hahahahahaha we crossed again , seems he started the Coal industry according to my book on the Battle of Talana , it's a very interesting display featuring the Coal Industry at Talana.
90th

Plus they make the best toasted ham and cheese around at the little cafe.

There you go ADMIN/Pete hope that lot answers the question.

Yes I think you're right , have been there , but wasn't sure of it's part in 1879 , so probably just checked it out without taking any great notice , will check my pics now . hahahahahaha
90th

I always enjoy visiting Talana , next time I go I'll have a more detailed perusal ! hahahahahaha and a Toastie or 2 !
90th

Figures just come through for Western Cape last 24 hours 1709 infections, total deaths 2099. And we arent peaking yet. Add to that lot the virus hitting the elephants in Botswana, over 400 dead, and the country is pretty stuffed at the moment.

If I fancy getting drunk before breakfast does that make me an alchoholic or just an oportunist?

Just do it Mate , that way you can sleep through the doom and gloom that will be everywhere throughout the day ! . Yes things are far from Rosy ! .
90th

I can't believe the two month return journey for supplies from the Smith farm. Best not forget anything !! People nowadays couldn't comprehend such hardships.

In 1986 I wrote to Thomas Pakenham pointing out an error in his book [i]The Boer War [i] - In describing the battle of Talana on page 126 he talks of Piet Smits farm when it was actually Peter Smiths farm - a small point but still factual - Pakenham wrote back to me - Ill try to scan and upload the letter .. nope it didnt work ..

Hi Springbok and welcome, you have inherited a nom de plume I used for years on the forum so if you do happen to get strange messages be aware.
A question for you regarding Peter Smith! Did he have anything to do with Smiths Hotel on the Zulu bank of Rorkes Drift adjacent to the old cemetary?

Frank

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Thanks again Frank - Hope Im doing the right thing here - not sure about the Rorkes Drift Hotel

Frank Allewell wrote:

Hi Springbok and welcome, you have inherited a nom de plume I used for years on the forum so if you do happen to get strange messages be aware.
A question for you regarding Peter Smith! Did he have anything to do with Smiths Hotel on the Zulu bank of Rorkes Drift adjacent to the old cemetary?

Frank

Smith's Hotel?? I think you are referring to Meij's (May's) hotel Fort Northhampton 1881-1884

Sorry Paul, Mays, subsequently the home of A L Pretorius, the first magistrate I believe.

sorry yes or sorry no?

Yes, and was used as the Magistrates office. Pretorious built a house further upstream...which still stands today albeit not in its original state.

Peter Smith’s farmhouse; Meij’s Hotel

Reply to Frank Allewell and Paul Lamberth
I lived in Dundee then and at age 10 [1957] a friend and I found a seam of battlefield debris [boot cleats (about 30), lots of copper ammunition strapping with screws, broken pottery (printed on one piece “dentifrice paste”] and bottles, brass tent fittings and one with attached a small piece of tent material, melted belt buckles, clumps of muslin cloth etc.) . During the subsequent dig, I met George Chadwick [Monuments Commission] and George Chadwick who owned Fugitive Drifts farm.
The latter took me to Rorkes Drift and we rowed a small boat across the deep pond immediately above the actual Rorkes Drift to meet an old lady farmer Mrs Johnson [spelling] who took us to the site of Meij’s Hotel about 200 meters from her farm house to the site with a 25 meters wide patch of broken pottery and glass. I collected many makers emblems moulded on to the shoulder of the glass bottles of genever [gin]. The site was close to that of Fort Northhampton as shown on the map I saw on the 1879Zulu site.
A few kilometers east of Dundee town is Talana Hill and the farm of its founder Peter Smith who also started mining the coal-rich area in the late 1850’s with the railway from Durban arriving there in the 1880’s. In the Battle of Talana in October 1899 , the fighting raged around Peter Smith’s small house and farm buildings, with the farm walls giving the Boers valuable defence. Three days after the battle a few dead British soldiers were found in the cow shed by the Boers who, the touching story goes, found a collie dog named Rosie faithfully watching over the dead body of its owner. That’s loyalty! The well preserved site is part of the worthwhile Dundee Talana Museum complex that comprises a world class glass and coalmining display.
Regards

Correction - George Bunting owned Fugitives Drift farm!

Beeza
Randburg - South Africa