Interesting facts on Centurion history
Most parts in Centurion were named after a family that settled there in the late 19th century.
On this day 23 years ago, the town formerly known as Verwoerdburg was renamed Centurion.
According to SAHistory, the town located between Pretoria and Midrand but is considered part of the Tshwane metro, was renamed on 28 June 1995.
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Here are some interesting facts about Centurion:
Most parts of Centurion were named after a family that settled there in the late 19th century.
– In 1841 the Erasmus family settled in the area.
– Daniel Jacobus Erasmus farmed on Zwartkop, Daniel Elardus Erasmus on Doornkloof and Rasmus Elardus Erasmus on Brakfontein which would later lend their names to Erasmia, Elardus Park, Zwartkop and Doornkloof.
– In 1881 part of the first Boer War was fought in Rooihuiskraal. A boer commando under the leadership of Daniel Erasmus Junior defeated Colonel Gildea, the British commander of the Pretoria Garrison.
– In 1889 Alois Hugo Nelmapius bought the northern to north-eastern portions of farm Doornkloof and named it after his daughter Irene, who died 1961.
– During the Second Boer War the Irene Concentration Camp was established in 1901 on farm Doornkloof, as part of the British scorched earth policy. Between February 1901 and the end of the war in 1902, 1 249 Afrikaners lost their lives here, of which 1 000 were children.
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– Centurion developed from the Lyttelton township on farm Droogegrond in 1904.
– Formed by combining Doornkloof, Irene and Lyttelton, Centurion obtained city council status in 1962 with its seat Lyttelton.
– In 1967 Lyttelton was renamed Verwoerdburg after the assassination of former prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd. Other areas that were later added to Verwoerdburg were Clubview, Eldoraigne, Wierdapark, Zwartkop and extensions.
– In 1995, it was renamed Centurion.
And in 2000, the Centurion local government became part of the newly-created Tshwane metro.
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