French Missionary Society
The area of Bethulie was first inhabited by the Bushmen several thousands of years ago. Their drawings can still be seen on some rocky hills, depicting their daily life of hunting and gathering. In 1828, a mission station was built for the local community, the San Bushmen, by the London Missionary Society.
The society was replaced in 1832 by French missionary Jean Pierre Pellissier, who worked with the locals to build modern buildings, roads and set up trading posts. His house can be viewed in town, and a tour will enlighten guests with original furniture, photo galleries, clothes, war relics, farm implements and vehicles. One of the main historical buildings is the Dutch Reformed Church, which was built in the early 1900s.
The French Missionary Society eventually took over the settlement and named it Bethulua, meaning “Place of Worship”. It was renamed Bethulie in 1872, and during the Anglo-Boer War, the town became the third largest concentration camp erected by the British to imprison Boer women and children. There is a Bethulie Concentration Camp memorial site to visit if you’re in town, which commemorates many of the victims.