Von Geusau House receives heritage plaque

The Von Geusau House situated on the corner of Van der Westhuizen and Strydom streets received its blue plaque on Friday.

The plaque was sponsored by the Bonsma family, who are the current owners of the house.

Stoffel du Plooy fastened the plaque to the house wall.

“It’s such an honour to live in this house with such an amazing history,” said Henda Bonsma.

“We feel really honoured to be part of Heidelberg’s rich history and we support the town’s effort to create awareness of its heritage.”

The house was built in 1880 by the Von Geusau family.

Adriaan von Geusau was an attorney before assisting Cassie O’Reilly during the occupation.

He became mayor after the war and was present in the town for many years before he died in 1944 at the age of 77.

After the Von Geusau family, the Malan Cilliers family lived in the house for nearly 36 years before selling the house to the Bonsma family in 1995.

“The house had its original coal stove until 1995,” Bonsma further explained.

“It was the only way to warm the house, especially considering the town’s cold winter nights.”

The Bonsma family also restored the garden and terraces to their original design.

“When we saw the pictures of the garden from the Von Geasua’s photo album, we could see that we followed the exact same lines of the original garden,” Bonsma said.

“The five original oak trees are still in place around the yard and continue to give shade to many passersby.

“I am not entirely sure about this fact, but I believe that this was also the house that President Paul Kruger stayed in during his visit to Heidelberg.”

The Bonsma family hopes that the old house will continue to be part of the town’s heritage for many years to come.