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The
abundance of natural forests attracted loggers and, in the 1840s
the development in Pietermaritzburg provided
a ready market for timber. A number of saw mills were established, in strong
competition with illegal loggers who supplemented their income with gun-running. One
of the best known sawmills was the Boston Mill, on the farm Boston House.
Established by Byrne settlers
Joseph and Edward Few, they named the mill in memory
of their home country, Boston in Lincolnshire, England. By
the 1880s the district was thriving and there was
a daily post cart service leaving Pietermaritzburg
at 7am, arriving at Bulwer eight
or nine hours later. Farming
was mostly of horses for army and police remounts, and draft work. Cattle were
farmed to provide oxen for transport riders. The
St Michaels and All Angels church was built in
1882, and the Boston Hall was erected from stone (for the princely sum of £123-18).
During the Bambata rebellion
(1906) the hall acquired two blockhouses at its two opposite corners. They can
still be seen today. Boston
remains a thriving farming community and per capita, is one of the largest milk
producing areas in South Africa. With an abundance of walking, fishing and birding, a visit to this lovely area will assure you of good country hospitality and a wealth of things to do. |
