HGB Ep. 601 - Haunted Pretoria

(Suggested by Celia V.) Right off the bat, we do want to acknowledge that there is some controversy over the name of Pretoria. Many believe that it should be called Tshwane (pronounced: chwaaney), which is the main metropolitan municipality there. Tshwane is the Setswana word for the Apies (ah pees) Rives. 

Our listener Celia hails from South Africa and she wrote us about an experience she had at a historic museum located in the capital city of Pretoria. It's an awesome ghost story and we wondered if there were other haunted locations in Pretoria and sure enough, we found some! South Africa has only come up on the podcast one other time in all these years, so it was definitely time to revisit this country that has a history marked with turmoil because of apartheid and the ensuing massacres and uprisings and the struggle to transition to independence and Democracy. Ongoing challenges continue, but this is also a country of natural beauty in the landscape and its varied wildlife. The architecture is also diverse, represented with indigenous styles and contemporary styles, but also the historic styles of Victorian and Colonial. Join us for the history and hauntings of Pretoria, South Africa! 

Pretoria is the administrative capital of South Africa and was founded in 1855 by Marthinus Wessel Pretorius who named the town for his father, Andries Pretorius. His father had been a prominent figure in the Voortrekker (Fourtrekker) movement. Voortrekkers (Fourtrekker) wanted to form their own independent republics, free from Britain - just like America - and the settlers were mostly Dutch-speakers known as Boers or Afrikaaners. Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer. They migrated in large ox-wagon trains to the interior of the country. Marthinus bought two farms named Elandspoort and Koedoespoort and they became the foundation of Pretoria. The city straddles the Apies River making it an attractive spot for settlers. Pretoria became the capital of the South African Republic in May 1860. The conflict between Britain and the Boers would continue, culminating in the First Boer War, which began in 1880. Britain wanted to annex the Transvaal Republic and the Boer War was the resistance to this. The Republican forces, which were the Boer forces laid siege to the city of Pretoria in December 1880 and again in March 1881. Britain decided they no longer wanted to be bogged down in war, especially with it looking like they would need substantially more troops, so they called for a truce and a peace treaty was signed in August of 1881 known as the Pretoria Convention. 

There was a tentative peace for years, but then gold-bearing ore was found 30 miles outside of Pretoria and Britain was suddenly interested in imperialism in the region again. Despite throwing in the towel during the First Boer War with no hope of winning, Britain would again be at war with the Boers in 1899. There would be heavy casualties, but Britain would ultimately win this one as they went with Scorched Earth tactics that convinced native Africans to join forces with them if they wanted to eat. The Boers vowed to fight to the bitter end, but eventually did surrender in May of 1902 and they signed the Treaty of Vereeniging.  

The Union of South Africa was established in 1910 as the colonies of Orange River, Natal and Cape united with the Boer Republics of the ZAR. Pretoria became the administrative capital at that time. South Africa is a little different in that their three branches of government are not all in the same city and each has its own capital. Cape Town is the legislative capital and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. On October 14, 1931, Pretoria achieved official city status. South Africa became a republic in 1961. In 1948, a system of racial segregation began in South Africa known as apartheid. People were classified in four groups: white, black, coloured and Indian. These groups were restricted in where they could live and where they could work and basic civil rights were denied to non-white groups. They didn't have the ability to be involved in government and couldn't vote and their access to healthcare and education was limited. Pass Laws required black South Africans to have passports for their own country, in order to get around. And really, we can't put it hat way - their country - because they weren't allowed to have South African citizenship. Leaders like Nelson Mandela were imprisoned. Blacks protested against the government and people around the world joined them. This would continue until 1994 when apartheid ended and everyone was allowed to vote and a democratic government was established. Nelson Mandela was elected as President. 

Erasmus Castle

Erasmus Castle is also known as "Die Spookhuis," (Dee spoke house) which translates to "The Haunted House." It doesn't look anything like a haunted house. The architecture is the Victorian stick-style with a grand entrance and distinctive tower and it's painted white with brown and green trim. There are also Art Nouveau, Edwardian and Neo-Gothic elements. The mansion was designed by Frans van der Ben and was built for Jochemus Johannes Petrus Erasmus and his wife Johanna. The Erasmus family was powerful and owned a lot of land. 

Construction began in 1892 and took until 1903 to be completed with the interior featuring Oregon pine floors. Heirs to the Erasmus property were compelled to sell to the Pretoria Municipality in the 1960s, but this fell through and the house was acquired by Armscor, which is the arms procurement agency for the South African Department of Defence. This is a private ownership, but they do offer public tours. The house has on display artifacts that were discovered in a cave on the property that are pre-colonial and even some turquoise beads from ancient Phoenicia dating to 2500 BC brought over by traders were also discovered in the cave.

There are spirits in the house. For a period of time, the house sat abandoned, but that didn't keep there from being reports of strange noises coming from the empty house. There were also lights on in the empty house at night. Disembodied footsteps have been heard and the apparition of a woman in Victorian dress, usually a nightgown, has been seen looking out a window or walking through the garden. People have also seen the spirit of  Jochemus Erasmus. People claim it is him moaning at night. The Erasmuses had a three-year-old child named Enslin who passed away in 1917. She was buried in the family cemetery on the property under a tombstone that reads "our little sunbeam." The ghost of a young girl has been seen in the house and it's believed this is Enslin.

Die Ou Raadsaal

Die Ou Raadsaal (Dee ow rrrod saul) translates to "The Old City Council." And indeed this is the former parliament house where the Old Boer Republics assemblies would meet. This is found in Church Square, which is bordered with magnificent architecture. Before his trial, Nelson Mandela made a three hour speech from the dock here proclaiming, "During my lifetime I have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons will live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realised. But, my Lord, if it needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." A statue of Paul Kruger is here as well. Kruger was a leader in the fight for South African independence and was elected president after the First Boer War and has become a tragic folk hero. He was re-elected president three more times, but would leave the country as it became obvious that Britain was going to win the Second Boer War. He spent the rest of his life in exile, dying in Switzerland. His body was returned to South Africa. A little fun fact: the Krugerrand gold bullion coin is named for him and has his likeness on it. And for many years, these coins would show up inside Salvation Army buckets across different cities in America. They've become a recurring tradition in some locations and they're worth thousands of dollars, so its a generous donation.

The building was designed by architect Sytze Wierda in the Renaissance Revival style. It stands three stories and features a Republican coat of arms in the second-floor pediment with the motto "Unity is Strength." The exterior is plastered brick painted to look like sandstone with a main tower with a statue of Minerva at the top. The interior has lavish stained glass windows and teak desks and Moroccan leather chairs. The building was finished in 1891 and had telephones added the following year. Electric lighting came in 1896. A paranormal phenomenon that occurs regularly in the building is the sighting of an orb of light in the main chamber.
  
Melrose House Museum

The Melrose House Museum was built in 1886 for Pretoria businessman George Jesse Heys. He named it for the Melrose Abbey in Scotland. This is a Victorian and Edwardian mansion designed by W.T. Vale that stands three-stories and features turrets, Dutch gables, stained-glass windows and other architectural details like gable capping and decorative plaster work. The house has a claim to fame that dates to the Second Boer War when Lord Roberts requisitioned it as the headquarters for the British forces after Pretoria was invaded in June 1900. Lord Kitchener continued to use it as a headquarters until the war came to an end and then on May 31, 1902 the Treaty of Vereeniging was signed on the dining room table of Melrose House. George Heys returned to his home after the war and later died in 1939, leaving the property to his family who later sold it in 1968 to the Municipality of Pretoria for use as a museum. The famous treaty table is still there and the house has been completely refurbished. 

And it apparently is haunted. The Phoenix Paranormal Team has investigated here and they got EVPs in the attic featuring someone speaking in an African language. There is a feeling of static electricity in the attic that makes people feel off balance. There is the smell of cigar smoke in the billiards room and there are disembodied footsteps heard. Some of the investigators have been pinched and pushed by something unseen. Mrs. Heys may be one of the spirits here and seems disgruntled that her morning room had been full of soldiers. Her apparition is seen closing the curtains and sitting in the room doing her needlework.

Sammy Marks Museum 

The Sammy Marks Museum is the location that was suggested to us by Celia and she sent us a very detailed email and she had an amazing paranormal experience there as a kid. First let's talk about the man for who this museum is named. Samuel Marks was born in Lithuania in 1844 and his parents eventually emigrated to England to escape the persecution of Jews in Russia. While in England, he heard about discoveries of diamonds in Kimberley, South Africa, which is the capital of the Northern Cape. Marks arrived in the Cape in 1869 and was followed shortly thereafter by his cousin Isaac Lewis. The two cousins formed the partnership of Lewis & Marks. Marks had brought a case of silver knives and he used those to peddle in the rural districts of the Cape. The partnership moved on to supplying miners and with more money, they were able to relocate to Kimberley to get involved in the diamond business. Celia shared this fun fact: The Kimberley Mine is the deepest hand-dug excavation in the world that can be seen from space. The diamond mines in Kimberley would develop innovative underground mining techniques and revealed that diamonds weren't just found in rivers, but also were deposited in volcanic pipes. In its lifetime, the Kimberley Big Hole Mine yielded almost 3 tons of diamonds and is also where the world's largest octahedral diamond was discovered.

The cousins found diamond trading to be very lucrative. The Lewis & Marks business interests expanded to a distillery, a canning factory and a glass factory. Marks was also a pioneer in using steam tractors in farming and he sponsored the establishing of flour-mills and brick and tile works. Sammy eventually moved to Pretoria in 1881 and he became friends with President Paul Kruger, a relationship that would would become very close and lasted their lifetimes. Marks suggestion to his friend that he build a railway line from Pretoria to Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) and this was completed in 1895 and provided a crucial trade route. One thing Sammy was good about was he kept his dealings neutral with both the Boers and the British. He even played a considerable part in the peace negotiations to cease the Anglo-Boer hostilities. After the war, he donated a cast-iron fountain to the city of Pretoria. It was shipped from Scotland in sections and can be seen today at the Pretoria Zoological Gardens. Sammy was also fluent in five languages.

In Pretoria, Marks bought the Zwartkoppies farm, which measured 1910 acres and he built his Victorian mansion there, which was completed in 1886. The mansion had 40 rooms and featured ornate ceilings with the billiard room showcasing paintings on the ceiling done on silk and pasted on. Marks moved his wife Bertha and their children into the mansion. She was 19 years his junior and the couple would have 9 children. Only six of them survived into adulthood. The baby of the family was Dolly and she weighed less than two pounds at birth, but she ended up living a full life and passed away at the age of 96. Bertha was a prize winning poultry farmer and the grounds hosted guinea fowl. There were also antelope on the property and there were nine English swans on the lake on the property. Bertha was also fond of roses, so Sammy ordered roses from a nursery in Kent and by 1906, there was a formal rose garden on the property. Other gardens were added as well. There were orchards featuring pear, peach, apricot, and plum trees. Several flower beds were planted and these were flanked by pruned hedges. Behind the kitchen there was a herb garden and these herbs were not only used for culinary purposes, but also for medicinal purposes.
And as was popular during the Victorian era, there was a hedge maze. The central feature of the property was the flagpole garden with a flagpole measuring 88.5 feet and Marks raised the national flag every morning on that pole. During the war, he would change the flags favored by the soldiers present in the surrounding area at a particular time. The base of the flagpole is adorned with flower beds and gravel paths, surrounded by a wide circle of lemon trees. There was a large lawn for playing cricket and football, as well as croquet. A beautiful pergola of vines flanks the croquet court. Today, visitors may partake in the sport as a part of the tour.

The property also had a stable and coach-house that accommodated five carriages and fourteen horses. Mr Marks had various vehicles for transport, each with its own purpose from an ox-wagon to a Landau, which was a luxury four-wheeled carriage often drawn by four horses. There was a cow-house which served as the centre for the dairy activities. Two cottages were also built to accommodate the farm manager and the head dairyman. A wine-cellar was also built in the 1890s. It was partially sunken to provide a cool and dark environment, which ensured that the wine kept well. Close to the wine-cellar was a corrugated iron structure, with a large steel water tank propped up on a wooden structure. This was used as a wash-room for the servants and the tank served as a household reservoir. Water was drawn from a well with a steam operated pump. The family furnished the home elaborately and today, 98% of the household contents in the museum, originally belonged to the Marks family.  

Throughout his life, Marks contributed to Jewish communities throughout the country and one of those things was donating all the bricks for the Old Synagogue, which was built in 1898. He also paid for the electric light installation and chandeliers and settled the synagogue's mortgage in 1906. Sammy passed away in 1920 and his wife Bertha lived in the house until her death. Some of the children continued to live in the house and when the last one passed away in 1981, the house sat vacant for awhile. In 1984, an agreement was reached with the National Cultural History Museum for the government to buy the contents of the house and then they rent the house from the family trust. The government restored the property and opened the Sammy Marks Museum. 

Sammy was very connected to his Jewish roots and he wanted his children to continue on that path so when his favorite child Gertrude fell in love with a Christian boy - the poop hit the fan. She had apparently gone to England for studies and that is where she met this boy when she was 16-years-old. Gertrude wrote her father a long letter explaining that she had met the love of her life and was going to marry him and convert to Christianity. Sammy was livid and he immediately brought Gertrude back home and told her she wouldn't be marrying her love. Gertrude was heartbroken and she never courted any man or married. She is buried at the farm. Another one of Sammy's kids was Joseph and he was totally into farming. He wanted nothing to do with business. He had everything in his room decorated in the color green. He took care of the farm after his father's death, but he had no sense when it came to decorating. He hated the decorative patterns on the wall, so he painted over them and it caused a lot of damage, which the museum is still working to rectify. They are having to remove six layers of paint that has almost destroyed 171 years of art.

Celia wrote of her experience at the museum, "I was 11 or 12 when we went on a school tour to the Sammy Marks Museum where I saw my first ever ghost." Celia had said that they possibly had an experience in the wine cellar. She wrote, "This is where the first strange occurrence may have happened during our school tour. It was rather dark and chilly, and as we left there was a bottle on the floor that rolled towards our group as we left. No one really thought anything of it, and one of my friends actually stopped to put the bottle upright. Of course, it could have been gravity, or..." She continued, "When walking through the front door, one is transported back to the Victorian era. To the left is the grand teak staircase, with a tiny closet underneath where sports equipment is stored. In the foyer is a little love seat wrapped around a pillar. The tour took us through many rooms, not all of which I can remember. There was a large kitchen with much of the original utensils and equipment still intact. The dining hall has the crockery and silverware laid out for a five course meal. The fine bone china is emblazoned with a monogram of the entwined letters S and M, and a smaller B in the center. This was quite a status symbol in the day, and was used mainly for entertaining guests. The children had a separate dining hall where they ate with the governess. If I remember correctly, the children were allowed to join the adults on certain occasions after their twelfth or thirteenth birthday.

The playroom and nursery still has many of the children's toys and games. I was impressed with the good condition these were still in. The tour guide told us not to touch anything as many of these items were a hundred years old. One of the boys remarked with awe that it was as old as his granny. Our school principal who was on the tour with us couldn't keep her giggle in and that got all of us laughing. By the way, our principal was about the same age as his granny at the time. As the Marks children grew up, the boys were sent to boarding school in England at the age of eight. They were expected to learn skills that would enable them to take up a profession or join one of the family enterprises. Women were not expected to be educated to the same level as men at the time, but the girls were educated by a governess until the age of twelve. Languages were important to Mr Marks and they were taught French, German, and English.

Mr Marks encouraged the children to take up music as well. In the music room the original Bechstein grand piano can be found, with well worn shiny ivory keys. Later, we were told that sometimes visitors could hear music being played on the piano, although when investigating, no one was in the room. We were also taken to the grand billiard room. This is where Mr Marks and his guests were said to enjoy cigars and games after meals or to discuss business. I was later told that Bertha enjoyed a game of billiards too from time to time. I was awestruck by the beautifully painted ceiling panels. If I remember correctly, they were painted on silk by an Italian craftsman who also resided in Pretoria. This same painter decorated the rest of the walls in the house. Our tour guide told us that one of the sons whom she referred to as 'naughty Joe' had painted over these patterned walls, causing much damage to the original layers. The restoration of the murals is an on-going process as funds are made available. The layers of paint are painstakingly removed by scalpel until the original pattern is exposed.

Off to the side of the billiard room is Mr Marks' study and library. He has a large collection of historical books with speeches of 19th century British politicians, including some business related books on mining, farming, irrigation, and iron manufacturing. Bertha enjoyed reading contemporary novels, and there were some books that likely appealed to the children, like Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. The study desk was an ornate brobdingnagian thing, with hidden drawers where he kept some important notes that were not to be seen by the servants or even family members. We were shown the bathrooms and bedrooms. A fact that I found interesting was that most doors had their handles placed lower than normal. This was so that when a door was opened by a servant, they would reach down and already be in a bowing stance, ready to curtsy or bow to the ladies or lords of the house. 

Then we came to a particular guest room. Right throughout the tour we were repeatedly reminded not to touch anything, or sit on any furniture. There was a bearded man lying on the bed who sat up as our group entered that room. He seemed rather bored and ignored us. I kept my mouth shut, although I was dying to ask the man why he was allowed to sit on the bed and none of us. As the guide was talking, she mentioned that a friend of Mr Marks, John Murray, had passed away in that room. I blurted out "Is that him?" and pointed to the man. The tour guide became dead quiet and wide-eyed. After a silence that felt like minutes she ushered us outside with a pale face. Our tour guide then handed us over to another guide who took us to the lawns for a game of croquet. I didn't notice when the lady returned, but she was talking with my teacher and principal. They beckoned me over and the woman frantically asked if I had ever been to the museum before. I told her no, which was true. She then showed me a picture and asked me if I saw the man who was in the room. Without a pause, I pointed at the image of the bearded man who was standing with a group of people. I swear the woman nearly fainted. After enjoying a game of croquet and a picnic, our group was back on the bus on our way to school. My teacher and principal were rather quiet and at times I saw them glancing at me. When my mother came to pick me up after school, she and I were taken to the principal's office with my teacher. I was terrified. I used to be quite a rebel, but I thought I had behaved well during the outing. Apparently they wanted to explain to me that I had seen a ghost and that I should pray and not be afraid.

Well, needless to say, I was elated. A real ghost! I suppose this is where my fascination started with haunted places and spirits. I went back to the Sammy Marks Museum 10 years later when I could drive myself. My mother refused to ever take me back there. Unfortunately, I never saw Mr Murray again. I have been to a few haunted sites in South Africa, but I never saw anything ever again. Never felt any cold spots or heard any noises at any of the locations I visited."

Pretoria has a lot of history and the Sammy Marks Museum seems like an extraordinary Victorian mansion and Celia certainly had an amazing experience. Are these locations in Pretoria haunted? That is for you to decide!