HISTORY:
This farm in Silverton was first settled in 1846 by a Cape farmer named David Botha. By 1874, the gold rush was on in Pilgrim's Rest. Hans Mundt, a German immigrant capitalized on this opportunity. He bought the farm for �1400 and built a halfway station for travellers.

By the turn of the century, silver had been discovered on the farm and part of it was bought by the Silver Mining Company for �9000. This money was used to build a Victorian house to replace the original thatched home, which then became a packing shed.

In 1961, the Mundt family donated the estate to the municipality of Silverton, which in turn handed over administration to the National Cultural History Museum in 1975, when it was named the Pioneer Museum.

ARCHITECTURE & FURNITURE:
The original home built by David Botha was constructed primarily of mud and anthills to form clay walls and the fireplace. Anthills mixed with cow dung were used to create the flooring, a technique borrowed from the local Tswana people.

Yellowwood tables, cast-iron pots and pans, and porcelain items were bought from traders from the Cape.

The farm also contained a Halfway station with stables, coach-houses, and and inn. Mundt also built a poultry coop to house his chickens. A cemetery has several marked graves of the Mundt family, as well as many unmarked graves. The Norseman's Mill is still used today to grind wheat to bake fresh bread

DEMONSTRATIONS
- wheat grinding
- bread baking
- coffee roasting
- milking
- candle-making
- hide curing

FACILITIES:
- museum shop
- picnic & braai area
- demonstrations
- hall and kitchen for private functions for up to 200 people
- amphitheatre
- 2 lapas (can accommodate 50 people each)

DIRECTIONS:
- follow the N4 east toward Witbank
- take Exit 3 at Silverton

HOURS:
Daily : 09:00 - 16:00

Tel: (012) 803 6086/7
Fax: (012) 803 5639