History Rediscovered Virtual Cache

In the past beacons were erected to mark the division of farms. This virtual brings you to a very special one, showcasing the division between three historical Johannesburg farms.

Back in around 1897, it is thought that the owner of the farm Syferfontein, HB Marshall, wanted to clearly indicate the border of his farm and organised that a beacon (that looks like a trig beacon) be erected at the border between three farms – Syferfontein, Braamfontein and Klipfontein. At the time, that point was in Oxford Road and when the road was built, it was moved to be on the pavement along the same land-surveying lines. Over decades, the beacon became forgotten.

In the last few years, construction of a new building at the corner of Oxford and Glenhove Roads began and the neglected beacon has uncovered. Werner Kirchhoff, an 84-year-old retired land surveyor, who often drives along Oxford road, spotted it one day. As a child, he remembered seeing the landmark every day while heading to school and thought it had been destroyed. It was in a sad state with a broken pole attached to a tatty concrete block. He immediately went about trying to restore it by giving the concrete block a fresh coat of white paint. He contacted the land developers who were fortunately very interested in restoring and preserving the beacon although it was on the pavement. Now the beacon sits proudly with a vane indicating the different farms – Braamfontein to the west, Syferfontein to the north-east and Klipfontein to the south-west.

Reference:
Anna Cox, Retiree rediscovers 100-year-old division beacon, The Star Early Edition: 21 Nov 2014.

While visiting, try and think about how this area must have looked back in 1897. With all the new developments in the area, it is awesome that such a historic spot was uncovered. I hope you enjoy visiting this spot and learned something new!