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Barberton was established in 1884
when Fred and Henry Barber and their cousin, Fred, discovered
gold here. On 24 July 1884 the Gold Commissioner, David Wilson,
christened the reef with a bottle of gin, champagne not being
available, and named the place Barberton.
Prospectors and fortune seekers flocked to Barberton. The town
only flourished for a brief period until gold was discovered
on the Witwatersrand and only the larger mines continued operating.
By 1898 the nucleus of a
museum collection had already been established when Mr. Otto
Elkan donated a collection of, among other things, quartz and
other mineral specimens, and natural history curios, which were
displayed in the Carnegie Library.
From these humble beginnings
the Museum now consists of a Main Museum where the Geology and
Mining, Swazi history and general history of Barberton are displayed,
as well as Belhaven and Stopforth House Museums, Fernlea Museum
and the Block House.
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