Situated in the Municipal district of Lejweleputswa and home to the administrative centre of Tokologo Municipality.
This typical Free State rural town was established in 1856 by Dr Andrew Murray on the farm Van Wyksvlei which was purchased from a Griqua, Dawid Danster by a farmer, D S Fourie in 1839 and sold to the DR Church in 1855. President J N Boshoff agreed to act as godfather for the town, hence the name BOSHOF.
"Volkspele" (folk dancing), the traditional dance of Afrikaans speaking South Africans, originated in Boshof. It was the realisation of the ambition of Mr S H Pellissier, at the time vice-principal of Rooidak School. On 28 February 1914 during a Sunday school picnic, Volkspele was performed for the first time on the farm Vuisfontein. Various Volkspele memorials still exist in the area.
Boshof is a farming community and the main activity is sheep, cattle and game farming. If one looks at the results of the National Carcass competition over the past few years, Boshof district, it is clear that Boshof produces of the finest red meat in the country. Well-known Bonsmara, Brangus, Boergoat and Dorper stud-breeders are found in Boshof district.
Adventure And Sport
Oval track; Quad biking; Bowls; Golf; Hunting (see Hunting and Accommodation); for hiking, horse riding, etc, see Guest farms
Endurance riding
For Arabian horses, see Horses
Rock Art: Several examples of San rock art can be seen on the farms Rondefontein and Merriesfontein.
Fauna And Flora
Boshof Nature Reserve:
The municipal nature reserve is home to a variety of antelope, such as springbok, blesbok, gemsbok, eland, ostrich, hartebees, etc;
Montague Private nature reserve 30 kilometres from Boshof;
Wiets Safaris, a private nature reserve of 5500 hectares accommodates 28 species of game, which include white lions.
History And Architecture Battlefield site:
The Museum provided for by the local Conservation Committee where items and records of the latest history of Boshof and especially of the once well-known Rooidak School, can be seen. For enquiries or a visit contact Rita Wessels on 071 113 0256 .
Boshof Prison built in 1891 and which was originally designed for Kroonstad.
The Gunpowder house - a National Monument, near the cemetery.
|
||
|
|
The monument (cairn) at Vuisfontein where national dress (traditional costume) were worn by folk-dancers for the first time
|
The memorial at Boshof High School to which is referred on the tablets on the two monuments |
A monument (cairn) next to the road which leads to Vuisfontein and which was erected in February 1994 in commemoration of the 80th year's existence of Volkspele.
Boshof cemetery, surrounded by a limestone wall where the graves of victims of the Anglo Boer War can be seen, such as the grave of Asst. Chief Commandant CCJ Badenhorst, commander of the NW OFS Boer troops; the French soldier General Comte de Villebois-Mareuil; Sergeant Patrick Campbell, estranged husband of the famous actress and mistress of George Bernard Shaw; as well as quite a number of memorials erected for English soldiers who were killed during the said war. The grave of Charles Gerhardus Marais, elder brother of Eugene Marais can also be seen.
The memorials for the English soldiers killed during the war are looked after by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission with headquarters in London.
One of the houses which might be more that 150 years old. It is situated in Jacobs Street Boshof and was transferred to Johannes Jacobus Jacobs on 6 March 1857 by the interim Church Council of the community of Boshof, previously Van Wyks Vallei.
|
||
Dutch Reformed Church building built in 1874, enlarged in 1913 and renovated in 1954. |
1874 - 1915
|
Statue of General Gideon F Joubert
|
Memorial for the Boers who were killed in the Anglo Boer War |
Statue of Dr S H Pellissier, the Father of "Volkspele" (folk dancing) |
The
Norman & Beard organ in the DR Church was installed in 1913 and the
inaugural recital was given by Prof PK de Villiers on 2 May 1914 |
Volkspele memorial (cairn), 3 km from Boshof on the road to Christiana,
on the farm Vuisfontein where volkspele was performed for the first time
in South Africa.
