Drosdy Museum Traditional Cache
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The Batavian Goverment set aside 50000 Rixdalers for the new Drostdy and the building was to commence immediately. Uitenhage however Was sparsely populated and the difficulty of obtaining laborers and skilled artisans delayed the completion of the building. Then too Captain Alberti live at For Frederick and it was not easy to Supervise the construction of the Drostdy. The British took over the Cape again in 1806 And Captain Jacob Glen Cuyler was appointed Provisional Landdrast. On arrival the Drostdy had only reached the height of approximately 5 feet (1.5m). Captain Cuyler Was also in charge of Ford Frederick And he too found it very difficult to obtain laborers and to supervise the completion of the building. in 1807 Cuyler asked the field cornets and farmer for assistance.The farmers were required to supply six Hottentots to work for a month. When the first six had completed their month, theyt would return and six more would take their place.There were few laborers available for this system.The only two Hottentots who answered the call escaped to the Bethelsdorp Mission Station where they were fed and housed without having to work.Eventually the Hottentots at Bethelsdorp were required to Complete the Building. Cuyler moved into the building in 1807 when it was only half finished. The Drostdy was finally complete in 1809. Along with the government Surveyor Knoble, Captain Cuyler turned his attention to the formation of the new town. Plots of land were granted to individuals on their undertaking to erect, within a certain time, buildings of a prescribed size and substanciality This was so successful that in 1810 461 male inhabitants between the ages of 15 and 45 were reported as capable of bearing arms in defense of Uitenhage. THE BUILDING The Drostdy built in the Cape Dutch style in U-Form was once situated in a large garden with trees and farmlands in front. The Mahogany front door is original and so are the Burmese Teak and Yellow wood doors to the left and the right of the voorkamer and the door to the small room far left. The mounting stone and the stone where horses were tethered were removed from their original positions and have been place on either sides of the front steps when Caledon street was widened. The building was declared a National Monument in 1981.
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(Decrypt)
ab arrq gb tb vafvqr pnpur vf bhgfvqr
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