Ermelo throughout the years

Modern Ermelo was founded by Dutch Reformed Church Reverend Frans Lion Cachet (1835–1899), who ministered to farms in the surrounding area. He established a congregation in 1870, which was formally recognised at the church’s fifth annual general meeting in April 1872.

The town was laid out on the farm Nooitgedacht, purchased from PJ Fourie in 1879, and officially proclaimed on February 12, 1880. It was initially managed by the church until 1895, when the government of the South African Republic assumed control.

Cachet named the town after Ermelo in the Netherlands.

In 1901, the town was almost completely destroyed by British forces during the Second Boer War, with only one house left standing. It was rebuilt in 1903.

Photo | Facebook/Claudette Breed
Ermelo train station. Photo | Col André Kritzinger, CC BY-SA 3.0,
Photo | Facebook/Claudette Breedt
As night falls over Ermelo, the town’s streets come alive with movement and light. From the streaks of passing vehicles to the warm glow of streetlamps, this view captures the town’s evening energy. Photo | Wayne van der Walt

Cold winter air fills with smoke as households prepare for the night in Wesselton.

Cold air and low mist mark a winter morning at the Pet Dam a landmark in Ermelo. Photo | Wayne van der Walt

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Ermelo throughout the years

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Modern Ermelo was founded by Dutch Reformed Church Reverend Frans Lion Cachet (1835–1899), who ministered to farms in the surrounding area. He established a congregation

Read More »

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