Early Days of European Exploration
Somerset East was founded during the early days of European exploration in South Africa. The area was first visited in the late 1700s by Anders Sparrman, a Swedish botanist who wrote in his journal about the beauty of the landscape and the wealth of animal, bird and plant life. At the time, elephant hunters had settled in the area, but no formal village had been established.
In 1814, Governor of the Cape, Lord Charles Somerset and company travelled through the Cape Colony to assess the potential to produce goods to supply the military guarding the frontier. On reaching the Boschberg, they saw great potential in the area and decided to create a small settlement based on farming.
In 1815, the government subsidized the building of houses, soldiers' accommodation and a water mill. After several years, the farms were sold to new settlers and the town grew steadily to become Somerset East, named after Lord Charles Somerset.
The Somerset East Museum holds numerous artifacts and memorabilia from the founding days of the town, and there are numerous historic buildings throughout the area still in tact that depict early life in Somerset East.