Drostdy Africana Museum – Uitenhage’s Past
There was a time when there were no buildings to be seen on the land that is now Uitenhage. No schools, roads or houses existed. Over time, however, settlers moved in, established a small settlement and as the years went by, the settlement developed, evolved and modernized to keep up with the trends in other cities. Now, looking at the sprawling industrial city, it is hard to imagine that there was once nothing. But at the Drostdy-Africana Museum, visitors can explore the history of Uitenhage, and its development.
Uitenhage was established in 1804, and the building in which the Drostdy-Africana Museum is housed, was constructed in 1809. This museum forms part of the Uitenhage Museum, as does the Cuyler Manor Museum and the Old Railway Station Museum. The Drostdy-Africana Museum concentrates on the development of the city and how it grew through the introduction of various industries such as clothing, furniture and other items.
Its exhibits do not only feature the trade and development of Uitenhage from 1804, but has an extensive collection of artifacts on the culture and lives of the African communities that stayed in the area before the white settlers relocated themselves to where Uitenhage is now located. The library of the museum is a wealth of information and if visitors want to discover the heritage and roots of the city of Uitenhage, the Drostdy-Africana Museum has all the answers and more.
