1699 - 1939
A farm carved from the land

On 28 February 1699, Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel granted the freehold of a piece of land, 25 ha in extent to Lorenz Kamfer, a German from Pomerania. Lorenz was the first settler in the valley, and named his farm "De Drie Sprong" - believed to mean, "where three roads meet".

It was situated on the gently undulating lower slopes of the Simonsberg, as farming on the steep land further up was impractical. This freehold passed through nine different owners until it was purchased by Jan Andries Beyers on 2nd March 1857.

Jan Andries obviously recognised the farming potential of the area, for he had been busy acquiring land adjoining De Drie Sprong for some years. In 1813 he purchased a narrow strip extending up the mountain directly above De Drie Sprong, and in 1843 bought a further segment surrounding both his narrow strip and De Drie Sprong. Finally, in 1857, he added De Drie Sprong itself. read more