History of Picketberg

Province: Western Cape
West Coast
Coordinates:32°54′S 18°46′E
Area:13.27 km
Municipality: Bergrivier

Picketberg founded in the early 1700s

Piketberg at the foot of the Picketberg mountains which are made up of Table Mountain Sandstone. The area was originally known as Piquetberg. This area was inhabited by Khoi people for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived in the early 1700s and there are well-preserved examples of San rock art. A new Dutch Reformed parish was established here in 1833. Two years later the government granted permission for the farm Grootfontein to be used on which to establish a town, the first stands went up for sale in 1841. The railway reached the village in1902 to es21 European families arrived in 1705 and by 1730 there were 35 farming families in the area. A military post was established and manned by the VOC to help protect their livestock from theft by the local indigenous Khoi.

The economy of Picketberg

The area is conducive to wheat farming on the plain and rooibos tea grows well on the mountain slopes.

Picketberg had a fairly big Jewish community, mostly Lithuanian immigrants, and a synagogue was built by them in 1925. The congregation eventually disbanded and the building is currently used as the tourism bureau. The Picketberg community used a cannon to announce the arrival of ships. When the cannon sounded the farmers would bring their produce to the ship for transport and sale in Cape Town. The cannon was fired for the last time in 1961 at the proclamation of South Africa as a republic. One of these canons stands at the local high school

The license plate prefix for Picketberg is CBY and the postal code is 7320

WEATHER IN PICKETBERG TODAY

SEE ALL LISTINGS IN PIKETBERG

Things to see and do in Picketberg

Versveld pass
At the foot of Versvelds Pass is an ancient water mill that is now a national monument
Cultural history museum
Picketberg Dutch Reformed Church designed by Carl Otto Hager and built in the 1880s
Picket-Bo-Berg market
On the Last Friday of every month, there is a festival of live music, food and drink specials, and art gallery exhibition openings.
The Piketberg Gravel Bike Circuit
One of the oldest cement factories is just west of the town at De Hoek. PPC cement converted the lime plant into a cement factory and 3 million tons of earth are moved each year
Discover historic Piketberg. Following this self-guided route through town. Experience the rich history and historic buildings in the village. Start at The Piketberg Tourism offices and collect a map of the Route. The route includes the Neo-Gothic Dutch-Reformed Church, built in 1882, the Commercial Hotel, built in 1898, the Sheriff’s Office, and the original Police Station which were both built in 1926, and the original movie theatre built in the early 1920s.

Useful Numbers in Picketberg

Police: 044 803 4400
Municipality-044 606 5266
Traffic department:-George Traffic Department-044 878 2400
Fire: George Brandweer and Nooddienste-044 801 6311
Water: 044 606 5266
Electricity:044 606 5266
Ambulance: 10177
Post office;Grootbrakrivier Post Office-044 620 2201
Library: George Library-044 801 9288
Closest hospital;George Hospital-ER-044 874 5122
Pharmacy;Grootbrak Chemist-044 620 2511
SPCA: Garden Route SPCA-044 693 0824
Piketberg Crime protection forum:022 913 8800 piketbergcpf@gmail.com
Local paper” Die Courant”: 022 487 3221
Swartland Gazette: 022 482 3817
Tourism Padstal Building, Winkelshoek Complex, Tel: 022 – 913 2063
Schools
Hoogekraal Primary School-044 879 1297
Van Der Hoven Primary School-044 876 0133
Diepkloof VGK Primary School-044 876 0147

Local Listings