"Not so Dull" 1893 to 1993
Excerpt taken from a booklet available at the Library in Dullstroom published by Rodene Publishers 1993.
"Anyone passing through the tranquil Steenkampsberg, might think that the "dull" in Dullstroom derives from the name of the town. Not so, This charming village was named after its Dutch founder Wolterus Dull and has become a refuge for the nature lover, family man and fly fisherman.
At 2075 m above sea level, the summit of the nearby De Berg, being 2331 m, the town claims to be the highest in Mpumalanga - hence the chill air which often devastates visitors making a halfway stop on the way to the Lowveld.
The town dates back to the 1880's, when a committee under the chairmanship of Wolterus Dull collected money in Holland to assist Boers who had suffered losses during the First Anglo-Boer War. These funds were eventually used to bring Dutch immigrants to the Transvaal. Two farms, Groot Suikerboschkop and Elandslaagte, were bought from a local farmer, Hendrik Theodorus Buhrmann. The first settlers, led by JH Hanson Jnr, arrived in May 1884 with more Dutch families following in 1884 - 1887. They were soon discouraged by the eternal mist, everlasting cold and total lack of civilized amenities: no houses, the nearest shop and Post Office at Bergendal 25km away; the available agricultural land was not as fertile as they had hoped and there was no market for their produce. In 1887 the settlement consisted of 48 white inhabitants, 8 houses, 3 stables and 10 cattle kraals. WC Jansen's Boeren Handelsvereeniging shop, was the community's general dealer.
Dullstroom acquired official town status on 9 October 1893 and in 1894 had a population of 100 whites.
During the guerilla phase of the Second Anglo-Boer War the British razed the village to the ground. Many settlers went back to Holland.
After the war, TNH Janson (Oom Teun) was one of the first to return to Dullstroom and help it rise from the ashes.
Dullstroom's European heritage is evident in its wonderful array of deciduous trees - birches, lindens,cherry and many other varieties planted here over a century ago. Many corner stones on surviving buildings date back to 1890 or earlier and in the historic cemetery Irish, Dutch and English surnames testify to a varied community tradition of shared happiness and sorrow"
