There’s History in Those Walls!

Let me tell you the incredible history of a small town pub in the Adelaide Hills that very few know of …

The tiny town of Gumeracha is currently best known for being home to the World’s Biggest Rocking Horse, the place the Medieval Fair is held each year, and of course the local wines. However up until around the mid 1900s the local pub was a tourist attraction, and not just for the beer, it was for the thousands of names written on its walls. It was so well-known that it even gained the reputation of being Australia’s largest “visiting book” hotel in the process.

The town, which was founded by William Beavis Randell in the 1850s, has had a pub there almost as long. The map below is a portion of a town plan of Gumeracha dated from 1860, and shows that the corner block (where the hotel is) was owned by A Vorwerk, who is also listed as the first owner of District Hotel from 1861.

portion of town plan map of Gumeracha, dated 1860

portion of town plan map of Gumeracha, dated 1860

Here’s an extract from the Gumeracha 1839-1939 book:

“The main front walls of the District Hotel are composed of a local chalkstone, and probably on no other walls of a building in any other part of Australia are engraved so many names and initials. From ground level up to the top of the balcony roof there are a thousand or more of them, many of them representing people who in later years became very prominent in the State. As is only natural, callers at this old hostelry scrutinise the names on its walls with the very greatest interest.”

And from a newspaper article on the History of Hotels dated 2 June 1951:

South Australia has a hotel with the largest “visiting-book” of any in Australia. It is the District Hotel at Gumeracha, a two-storied corner building of very soft sandstone. From pavement to roof the outer walls are covered with names and initials so that there is hardly a square inch vacant. Thousands of penknives must have scraped away busily over the years. Some names are dated back to 1876.

looking down the main street of Gumeracha with the District Hotel on the right, 1888/1889

looking down the main street of Gumeracha with the District Hotel on the right, 1888/1889

the District Hotel at Gumeracha, c1910

the District Hotel at Gumeracha, c1910

Initials and coats of arm engraved into the bricks of the hotel at Gumeracha c.1936. [photo source: State Library of South Australia, PRG 287/1/4/4]

Initials and coats of arm engraved into the bricks of the hotel at Gumeracha c.1936.  [photo source: State Library of South Australia, PRG 287/1/4/4]

What a treasure this would have been – not just to see, but also for historical purposes. Sadly the walls were covered over around the 1940s-1950s I believe, and with it, so much history simply disappeared.

But wouldn’t it be fascinating to know the stories of those who visited the hotel? Did locals etch their name into the walls? I’m sure many were visitors from Adelaide or beyond. And who were the ones ones who went on to become prominent in the state? So many questions …

While the hotel has been through many, many owners, the hotel itself has surprisingly only had two name changes in its long history. Beginning as the District Hotel back in 1861, this continued though until 1959, when its changed name to the Gumeracha Hotel, which is still is today.

the Gumeracha Hotel in the 1950s

the District  Hotel, c.1950

Gumeracha Hotel, 2013

Gumeracha Hotel, 2013

The following is an extract from the book “Hotels and Publicans in South Australia 1836 to 1984”, by J.L. “Bob” Hoad

Owners of the District Hotel, Gumeracha
1861 – 1861 Vorweck, A.
1862 – 1864 Williams, J.
1864 – 1865 Pearce, S.
1866 – 1866 Jahn, H.
1867 – 1868 Day, E.
1869 – 1873 Hewish, H.
1873 – 1875 Cobb, J.H.
1875 – 1878 Rundle, John
1879 – 1880 Rundle, James
1880 – 1881 Scheck, Charles
1882 – 1889 Scheck, Carl
1890 – 1891 Scheck, L.
1892 – 1892 Scheck, Mrs L.
1893 – 1902 Gerhard, Mrs E.
1903 – 1904 Humphries, W.J.
1905 – 1914 Finch, Mrs H.
1915 – 1919 Tidswell, Mrs F.
1920 – 1921 Tidswell, H.R.K.
1922 – 1926 Coe, Mrs Ethel
1927 – 1927 Corcoran, P.M.
1928 – 1931 Corcoran, Mrs Catherine T.
1931 – 1935 Jonas, John D.
1935 – 1936 Clarke, John C.
1936 – 1938 Bruggemann, Fredk. E.
1938 – 1944 Venner, Mrs Nellie Emily
1944 – 1945 Simpson, Thelma Josephine
1946 – 1947 Cosgrave, Patrick Thomas Joseph
1946 – 1947 Walkom, Colin Douglas
1947 – 1952 Cosgrave, Patrick Thomas Joseph
1952 – 1953 Cosgrave, Jessie Eileen

Owners of the Gumeracha Hotel, Gumeracha
1953 – 1/1963 Roden, Mostyn John Anthony & Mary Geraldine
1/1963 – 3/1963 Childs, William Albert Edward
3/1963 – 5/1963 Roden, Mostyn John Anthony & Mary Geraldine
5/1963 – 1966 Hayes, Sydney Walter & Marie Teresa
1966 – 1969 Kessner, Jessie Josephine
1969 – 1970 Caon, Luigi & Roma Pearl
1970 – 1973 Kennedy, Robert Angus & Alexius May
1973 – 1976 McDonald, Stanley Richard & Fay Doris
1976 – 6/1983 Shields, Graham Edward & Barbara Marion Joyce
6/1983 – 6/1983 Cooper, Malcolm George
6/1983 – 1984 Shields, Graham Edward & Barbara Marion Joyce

Patriotic Day, Gumeracha, 1918

Isn’t it funny how you learn history through ‘things’?

My history lesson this week has been about Patriotic Day. I admit that I hadn’t heard of such a day, but thanks to a purchase of the badge (as shown above) on ebay, I was inspired to find out more.

But what’s interesting is that I found very little on it. Wikipedia and Google both let me down, so I headed to Trove, but even they didn’t have much.

It doesn’t seem to have been an Australia-wide thing, or even a South Australia-wide thing, but rather something the townsfolk have decided to do for themselves. Held in 1917 and in 1918 (at  least that’s all I could find), it seems that in 1917 it was used to raise fund for the war effort, and in 1918, was used to support the returned soldiers and the families of those who didn’t.

COUNTRY NEWS GUMERACHA. (1917, October 17). Daily Herald (Adelaide, SA : 1910 - 1924), p. 8. Retrieved August 21, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105435537

Daily Herald, 17 October 1917 p. 8 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article105435537

GENERAL NEWS. (1918, October 4). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), p. 7. Retrieved August 21, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5595919

The Advertiser, 4 October 1918, p. 7. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5595919

Advertising (1918, October 9). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931), p. 2. Retrieved August 21, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5597340

The Advertiser, 9 October 1918, p. 2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article5597340

If anyone has further information about Gumeracha’s Patriotic Day, please leave a comment below, as I’d love to know more about it.

And don’t you just love the image of the Gum weir on the badge … how cool is that? And for those that are unfamiliar with the region, here is a actual pic of the weir (below).

Gumeracha weir

Gumeracha weir


Anecdotes, BDMs, Obits and Adverts – What Are These Records?

I have come across an incredible source of information relevant to my research. One that includes local town news choc full of anecdotes relating to the locals, mentions of births, deaths, marriages and obituaries, and a heap of adverts from the local area. So just what are these records?

Church Journals!

Really? You bet.

Let me give you some examples.

Here is a page from the “Local News” section (also called “Editorial Notes”, “Miscellaneous” or “Church News” in various editions) …

'Local News', Salem Messenger, March 1893

‘Local News’, Salem Messenger, March 1893

So you’ll see from this one page of Local News we learn of several people’s  health troubles, several people moving, the introduction of some of the new equipment in the district, election chances, local meetings, a new business venture, a prize a local business won, and a bunch more. And that’s just a page from ONE journal!

You’ll also find some marriage and death notices (sorry no births afterall. But how do you write BDMs without births? DMs just doesn’t make sense) …

Salem Messenger, 7 January 1905

Salem Messenger, 7 January 1905

Salem Messenger, 7 January 1905

Salem Messenger, 7 January 1905

Salem Messenger, 1 April 1913

Salem Messenger, 1 April 1913

And of course the obituaries which are just awesome!

Salem messenger, 1 October 1900

Salem Messenger, 1 October 1900

As well as anniversaries …

Salem Messenger, April 1896

Salem Messenger, April 1896

And other newsworthy events, like town sports news and this brave deed!

Salem Messenger, April 1896

Salem Messenger, April 1896

Salem Messenger, January 1899

Salem Messenger, January 1899

There’s also general history on the church, town and pioneers …

Salem Messenger, 10 January 1903

Salem Messenger, 10 January 1903

And if all that wasn’t fabulous enough, then there’s the adverts. Many from local businesses – others from Adelaide. Here’s just a few examples of them.

Salem Messenger, July 1894

Salem Messenger, July 1894

Salem Messenger, January 1902

Salem Messenger, January 1902

Salem Messenger, October 1911

Salem Messenger, October 1911

So you see, there is potentially so much you can find in Church Journals. And while my family were heavily involved in the church scene, many other researchers would say their family wasn’t, so wouldn’t think to look in Church Journals.

So I hope this has opened your eyes to the possibilities of what could be out there. If you are fortunate enough to have a local church journal for your area, and it has survived, check it out! You just never know.

All of these samples have been taken from the Salem Messenger, which is the journal for the Salem Baptist Church at Gumeracha, South Australia. Apart from covering news about the town itself, it also mentions happening in the areas around North Gumeracha (now Forreston), Kenton Valley, Blumberg (now Birdwood), Mount Torrens, Cudlee Creek and a few other localities.

Fortunately for me (and everyone else with an interest in Gumeracha’s history), the Salem Messenger has been digisited and is available on CD from Gould Genealogy & History. And if you’re interested in finding out more about church records and church journals, I suggest having a read of Shauna Hicks’ book on Finding Ancestors in Church Records: A Brief Guide.

Trove Tuesday: Gumeracha’s Annual Ploughing Match in 1860

Oh how times have changed. I must say that the thought of going to a ploughing match really doesn’t excite me, but obviously it was a different time back in the mid-1800s when Gumeracha’s Annual Ploughing Match held, and it was certainly something to look forward to, as it brought out the whole town plus more!

Browsing on Trove certainly brings up a bunch of articles relating to Gumeracha’s Annual Ploughing Match. This seems to have started in 1850 or there abouts, and continued at least until the 1890s. Anyway I’ve chosen to share the one from the South Australian Weekly Chronicle, dated 11 August 1860.

GUMERACHA ANNUAL PLOUGHING MATCH. (1860, August 11). South Australian Weekly Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1867), , p. 5. Retrieved April 5, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90250672

As the article mentions it was held on land owned by William Beavis Randell, near the Gumeracha Mill (now Randell’s Mill B&B), and over 600 people attended! Even the Gumeracha Rifle Volunteers were there, and went through their drill. It must have been quite an event.

There were 9 men competing, and 8 boys, and they were …

GUMERACHA ANNUAL PLOUGHING MATCH. (1860, August 11). South Australian Weekly Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1867), , p. 5. Retrieved April 5, 2016, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article90250672

And the winners were …

Trove - Gumeracha Annual Plough Match, SA Weekly Chronicle, 1860-08-11 pg5 #3

The article is a long one, and goes on to discuss the dinner and speeches that were held afterwards. If you wish to read the full article you can find it here.

After reading the article, I must say I’ve changed my mind, and I’d love to see what a ploughing match is like. But I mean one back then, not one now. It was truly a different way of life back then.