Gold, loss and uncertainty: three mines that shaped the community
While famous names like Sheba and Fairview dominate the town’s early history, three smaller operations, Lily, Barbrook and Makhonjwa mines, played deeply personal role in the lives of generations of local families.
Fernlea: a house built in the gold rush era
Fernlea House in Barberton dates back to the late 1880s and offers a look at everyday life during the town’s early gold rush years. One of the oldest surviving homes in the area, it reflects how families lived while the mining industry shaped the valley.
Behind bars: crime, punishment and the prisoners who tried to escape
Where gold flowed, crime followed and Barberton’s jail became one of the town’s first lines of defence against chaos.
Echoes in the mountains: life and loss in the former asbestos town of Msauli
For many former residents, growing up in Msauli or Diepgezet meant living in a place where everyone knew one another.
Msauli, the rise and fall of an asbestos town
A forgotten town in the hills near Barberton once housed a thriving community built around asbestos mining. Today, Msauli stands silent, but its stories are far from gone.
Jamestown: The forgotten gold camp that came before Barberton
Before Barberton became a booming gold-rush town, there was Jamestown, a rough, fever-ridden diggers’ camp where some of the valley’s first gold was found. Today it has almost vanished from memory, but its story marks the true beginning of the Barberton goldfields.