Hopetown

Municipality

Municipality: Thembelihle Local Municipality
District Municipality: Karoo District Municipality

Hopetown Tourism Bureau

Church Str
Hopetown

Phone number: 053-203-0008
Fax number: 053-203-0490
Email: Email inquiry

The name of Hopetown has a little story behind it. Legend has it that The widow of the owner (Michiel van Niekerk) of the farm on which the town is built, lost a necklace which represents hope. A servant made a tin copy from memory, and this was nailed to the entrance of the farmhouse. When the house was later demolished, the symbol was removed and placed above the door of another farmhouse owned by the Curry's. The town got its name from this symbol.

Attractions

Also see the neighbouring towns

TOP

History

Hopetown was founded in 1858, and the place where the first recorded diamond in South Africa was found. In 1866 a 15-year old boy, Erasmus Jacobs, was playing with a stone when a neighbor, Schalk van Niekerk, saw him. He suspected it be of value and got hold of it, giving it to John O'Reilly, who in turn, presented it to Lorenzo Boyes, magistrate of Colesberg. Boyes tested it by carving the initials DP into his office window pane, which can still be seen. The stone was then sent to Grahamstown where it was shown to be a 21,25 carat diamond. Sir Philip Woodhouse, Governor of the Cape, bought the stone for 500 British Pounds, quite an amount in those days. This stone is known as Eureka. More stones were found in the area, and after a Griqua witch doctor with the name Booi picked up an 83,5 carat diamond, there was a diamond rush to the area. That stone is known as the Star of South Africa. The rush brought no other major finds.

TOP

Economy

Farming: Grain, cattle, sheep

TOP