Sammy Marks: The empire builder who left his mark on Barberton
From immigrant trader to Transvaal tycoon, Sammy Marks helped shape Barberton’s golden rise.
Heritage & History
Unearthing the stories, buildings, and moments that connect Barberton’s past to its present.
Barberton, 1884: The journal of a gold digger
My name is James "Jim" Redding. I am thirty-seven years old, though my face has aged faster than the calendar says. I came from Kimberley with a rusted spade, a donkey, and a sack of pipe tobacco, and I suppose, a head full of dreams.
French Bob: The mysterious gold digger who lit the fire before Barberton’s boom
The enigmatic loner whose 1883 gold find helped spark the birth of Barberton.
Barberton celebrates 141 years of golden beginnings
The story of Barberton begins in June 1884, when Graham Barber and his cousins Fred and Harry discovered a rich gold reef at Umvoti Creek.
Granny Klok: the woman who survived, and blessed, Barberton's golden days
Louisa Guthrie Klok cared without prejudice, nursing the sick and offering comfort where few others would.
Barberton’s concentration camp remembered for hardship and survival
According to official records, 216 people died in the camp, including 182 children under 15.
Barberton’s gold rush dream that turned tourist attraction
Barberton gained a reputation as a place of extravagance, with the Golden Quarry at the centre of it all.