HEIDELBERG KLOOF CEMETERY

The Founding of Heidelberg: The Story of Heinrich Ueckermann

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Early Journeys and the Call of the North:

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In 1849, Heinrich Ueckermann arrived in South Africa and established a cooperage business in Pietermaritzburg, where he married Elizabeth Mason in 1851. Following the birth of their first son in 1852, Mr. Ueckermann, accompanied by his wife and infant, set off by ox-wagon into the interior. Their extensive travels took them through Harrismith, Pretoria, Marabastad, Schoemansdal, Ohrigstad, and Lydenburg.

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Their adventurous journey continued into the Zoutpansberg region, where their daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1854. The trek was fraught with danger; on one occasion, a wagon loaded with elephant tusks was seized by local tribesmen under Chief Zebediela. However, with the assistance of a party of Boers, Ueckermann successfully recovered his property.

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The family briefly returned to Pietermaritzburg, remaining there until after the birth of their second son, Charlie. However, the allure of the North proved irresistible, and Ueckermann soon took to the trail once more. During this journey in 1858, his third son, Robert, was born in a modest mud hut at Eendracht, situated on the northern slope of the Suikerbosrand.

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Discovering Langlaagte:

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While resting at Eendracht, Ueckermann traversed the hills in search of game. His scouting led him to the adjoining farm, Langlaagte, where a small group of emigrants from Uitenhage had settled along the banks of the Blesbok Spruit. This farm was already a popular rendezvous for smousers (itinerant traders) and transport riders. It offered an abundance of wood and water, and crucially, it marked the intersection of the country’s two main arterial roads: Potchefstroom to Durban, and Pretoria to the Cape. Consequently, the site served as a natural hub for news and communication from across the region.

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In addition to the Uitenhage settlers, several families from Beaufort West had occupied neighbouring farms, many of whom were considered long-term residents, having lived there for the preceding twenty years.

The information Ueckermann gathered during this visit made a lasting impression. Driven by a sense of responsibility for his growing family, and encouraged by his wife, he concluded that it was time to abandon his nomadic lifestyle and settle down. Recognizing that the crossroads on Langlaagte presented an ideal location for a trading store, he secured permission from the farm’s owner, Mr. D.J. Strydom, to establish a Boere Winkel (farmers' store) at the intersection.

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Establishing the Settlement:

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Moving down from Eendracht, Ueckermann erected a temporary dwelling to shelter his family. This structure stood on the site of what would later become the old Post Office and Home Affairs building. In subsequent years, the building functioned as a local lock-up prison. Local lore notes that on one occasion when it was needed to hold a prisoner, no key could be found. Because the door lacked an external bolt, guards secured it simply by rolling a heavy transport wagon against it.

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Opposite this dwelling, on the corner of what is now Church Street (HF Verwoerd Street) and Ueckermann Street - the site of the Old Landbank - Ueckermann built his store. Once completed, he added a more spacious family home adjoining the northern side of the shop.

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To stock his new enterprise, Ueckermann embarked on another long journey back to Pietermaritzburg. He traveled south with a cargo of skins, ostrich feathers, and ivory, and returned with wagons laden with commercial merchandise. He also brought back a young woman employed as a governess for his children. Her tenure was brief, as she soon became engaged to be married. Because there was no resident clergyman or magistrate in the area at the time, Ueckermann transported the bridal party to Potchefstroom, where the wedding ceremony was officially performed by the Landdrost (magistrate).

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The Proclamation of Heidelberg:

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Following the death of Mr. B.J. Strydom, ownership of the farm Langlaagte passed to his children, Okker Strydom and Mrs. J.L. Venter, on 26 June 1859. Eight months later, on 28 February 1860, Ueckermann purchased the land for approximately £25. On 27 August of the same year, supported by the previous owners, he presented a petition to the Volksraad requesting the formal proclamation of a town. The petition was rejected at the time because the land had not yet been formally surveyed, and the matter languished for the next six years.

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In the interim, the hospitable Ueckermann home became a central point of interest. Government officials, hunters, traders, and explorers naturally stopped there while passing through. Captivated by the natural beauty of the area, many visitors expressed a desire to live there.

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In 1865, T.W. Fannin, an Irish surveyor from Dargle, Natal, arrived at the local outspan looking for work in the Transvaal. Recognizing the opportunity, Ueckermann commissioned Fannin to survey and lay out a formal township around the store. Tragically, Fannin contracted malaria in the Nylstroom district. Shortly after driving the survey pegs into the ground, he succumbed to a severe attack of the illness. Despite receiving dedicated nursing care from the Ueckermann family in their home, Fannin passed away on 19 December 1865.

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On 28 March 1866, the newly surveyed township was officially proclaimed under the name "Heidelberg," chosen in honour of the German city where Ueckermann had completed his education. The following year, Ueckermann was elected to represent the town in the Volksraad, later becoming a member of the Uitvoerende Raad (Executive Council).

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Growth and Legacy:

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Ueckermann dedicated himself to developing the town and attracting new settlers. He employed local labourers to manufacture bricks and constructed several houses to accommodate incoming residents until they could build their own homes. The first of these houses stood on the corner later occupied by the Royal Hotel (subsequently demolished to make way for the Old Mutual Building on the corner of Ueckermann and Jacob Streets). Another house was built on the site later occupied by Mr. Pagan, near the old OK Bazaars building in Voortrekker Street.

The town's first independent settler was Mr. Thomas Smith, who initially built a small house alongside the Ueckermann homestead. Smith later relocated to a larger residence at the southern end of Ueckermann Street, opposite the Wesleyan Methodist Church (a structure later removed to allow for the extension of Ueckermann Street through to Merz Street).

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Once the initial housing was ready, Ueckermann dispatched a wagon to Philippolis to fetch his stepbrother, Carl Ueckermann. Carl settled in the new town, eventually serving as the Magistrate’s Clerk and later as the State Solicitor of the Transvaal.

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The foundational era of the town drew to a close with the death of Heinrich Ueckermann on 24 July 1883. He was laid to rest in the cemetery he had established at the entrance to the "Kloof," where his grave remains marked by a memorial obelisk erected by his sons.

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Source: Derived from the unpublished manuscript "Story of Heidelberg" (1938) by Rev. Noel Roberts, Minister of the Anglican Church, compiled from personal interviews with Mr. Robert Ueckermann.

​Source: Heidelberg Heritage Association Facebook Page Article (Click to visit website)