Barberton: Museums, Mining History and Geology

Barberton is a destination whose history is reflected in museums, historic houses and traces in the townscape. For your trip planning, it helps to distinguish between the themes in town and the geology of the wider area: this allows you to give different emphasis to cultural history and a self-drive route through the mountains.

Museums and historic houses

The Barberton Museum comprises the Main Museum, Belhaven House Museum, Stopforth House Museum, Fernlea Museum and Krugerhof Museum. The Main Museum presents the general and cultural history of Barberton and its immediate surroundings. Geological exhibits sit alongside displays on the Stone Age and Iron Age, as well as military and mining history. Victorian cultural history and emaSwati culture are also among the topics. The museum therefore covers more than just gold and mining history.

The individual houses highlight different aspects of history. Fernlea House was built in the late 1880s and now houses an exhibition on Barberton’s botany and the history of Rimer’s Creek. Belhaven House was built in 1904 and is an example of prefabricated houses imported during mining booms in South Africa. Stopforth House was built in 1886 by James Stopforth as a prefabricated house made of wood and iron. During the South African War, Krugerhof was the last residence of President Paul Kruger.

Traces in the townscape

The Barberton Gateways in town are designed with inspiration from Nukain Mabuza’s colourful painted stone garden at Revolver Creek. Original 19th-century kerbstones lie in front of Barberton Town Hall, where there is also a statue of Jock of the Bushveld. Barberton Cemetery contains graves from the town’s gold-rush era. The museum buildings can be compared by their construction dates and styles; the kerbstones offer a different perspective on historical traces in the townscape.

The Barberton Heritage Walk is free of charge. A map is available at the Barberton Information Centre on Crown Street. If you need the map for your plans, check its availability locally before relying on it.

Geology in the wider area

In the wider region, the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains encompass 40 percent of the Barberton Greenstone Belt. They preserve an exceptionally well-preserved sequence of volcanic and sedimentary rocks dating from 3.6 to 3.25 billion years ago. These rocks document early surface conditions on Earth, as well as meteorite impacts, volcanism, continent formation and the environment of early life.

The Barberton Makhonjwa Geotrail is a 38-kilometre self-drive route through the Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains between Barberton and the Josefsdal border post. This gives you two distinct options to consider when planning your trip: museums, houses and historic traces in town, and a route through the geological surroundings. If you are interested in Earth’s history, you can include the Geotrail as a separate activity.

Discover more destinations: Hanover, Kemps Cottage, Emanzana, Secunda, Graskop, Skukuza, Middelburg, Komatipoort

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