Hi Paarl,
For the longest time, I’ve wondered: Why doesn’t Paarl have a Founders Day?
Over the past month, I’ve been doing some research and visiting historical sites around Paarl, trying to understand where our story really began.
Along the way, I’ve found some fascinating information – including dates and clues from old farm structures and historical records.
What we know is that people were living in and moving through this area long before Paarl was officially established. There were already inhabitants here, including communities who lived from the land and herded cattle.
Based on the research I’ve done so far, October 1687 appears to be a strong possibility for the establishment of Paarl as a permanent settlement.
If that date is correct, next year Paarl will be celebrating an incredible 340 years of history.
Paarl therefore has a story stretching back more than three centuries. Yet, despite being one of South Africa’s oldest permanent settlements, we don’t have a formally recognised Founders Day like some other towns in South Africa.
So, this October, I’ve decided to make it Founders Month.
Throughout the month, we’ll take a journey through Paarl’s history – one century per week.
Each week, we’ll go back another century and explore how Paarl developed: its people, its farms, its buildings, its industries, its communities, and the events that shaped the town we know today.
By looking at each century, we can begin to understand how the Paarl of today came to be – and appreciate just how much history surrounds us.
And who knows… perhaps by the end of this journey, Paarl will have its very own Founders Day, a day we can celebrate every year and pass on to future generations.
Note: All research for this series comes from various sources, historical sites and records. I’m not a historian, so I may get some facts or dates wrong.
We have many knowledgeable historians and history enthusiasts in our community, so if I get something wrong, please correct me!