Ghosts sightings at Fort Amiel museum
While the story of the phantom cook, who was just …well …terrible at his job, was made up to entertain guests, Eksteen says he knows of three unexplained supernatural incidents related to the cook house.
In the dark of night, ghostly apparitions roamed the grounds of the Fort Amiel museum.
Sergeant Barnes, whose grave marker somehow keeps finding its way back from the military cemetery to Fort Amiel, trudged around in the picnic area.
The spectre of a disgraced magistrate wandered near the guard house carrying an oil lantern, desperately trying to find his keys to the town.
In the guard house, the spirit of a nurse tended to the injuries of fallen British red-coats.
A phantom cook, who was killed when the British soldiers could no longer tolerate his atrocious cooking, stirred up inedible broth in the cook house… And if you listened carefully, you would hear the eerie wailing of a baby woken by the sound of horses’ hooves pounding the gravel every time a soldier returned to the Fort.
Illuminated in the warm glow of an overhead light, museum curator, Louis Eksteen, captivated residents’ imagination with tales of these and other historical figures on Friday night, December 8.
These residents had bravely ventured to Fort Amiel hoping to catch a glimpse of the apparitions at the ‘Night at the Museum’ event, and they were not disappointed.
With the help of volunteers who played the ghosts, Eksteen told stories that interwove past events with local lore and ghost stories.
“History is about the lives of people who have long passed and people are always fascinated by supernatural phenomena, so I hosted the ghost evening as a way to hopefully revive an interest in history in a fun way,” said Eksteen.
“I also wanted to bring back that nostalgic experience of storytelling around a campfire. With television and modern technology, I feel people have lost their imaginations. ‘Night at the Museum’ is the vehicle I use to make history come alive again.”
As he engaged residents, Eksteen carried the metal cross grave marker of Sergeant Barnes around with him. This grave marker was stolen twice from the military section of the Newcastle cemetery in Hardwick Street. It somehow found its way to the Fort Amiel museum on both occasions.
According to Eksteen, there was once a 530 bed tent hospital next to the cemetery where many soldiers died due to health issues.
“Barnes…” said Eksteen. “…died of enteric fever.” Enteric fever, commonly known as typhoid fever, is caused by salmonella bacteria.
While the story of the phantom cook, who was just …well …terrible at his job, was made up to entertain guests, Eksteen says he knows of three unexplained supernatural incidents related to the cook house.
“There was once a ghostly shooting reported by municipal workers who were busy at Fort Amiel. While the municipal workers swear they witnessed the incident, there was never any evidence found of a shooting having taken place,” recalled Eksteen.
“There was also a man found sleeping inside the cook house who reported that someone slapped him while he was asleep. Another man found sleeping in the cook house swears he heard a stern voice in the dead at night, reprimanding him for sleeping there. Besides that, we have a mannequin of a cook in the cook house which people often mistake for a ghostly apparition,” he laughed.
“The magistrate,” Eksteen explained, “has been looking for his keys since October 14, 1899.”
“When Newcastle was invaded and occupied by the Boers, it is documented that the commander of the Dutch volunteers, Captain Gerrit Boudewign Verlesewel de Withammer (reportedly an arrogant man), came into town without waiting for the Boers. He went straight to the magistrate’s house (which is where the The Cannon Lodge stands now) and demanded the keys to the town. In the past, the town was enclosed by a wall with a gate,” said Eksteen. “It is the keys to this gate that Withammer demanded. The magistrate had no choice but to hand them over.”
Withammer then proceeded to the town hall where he mounted the Vierkleur flag (the flag of the Transvaal) atop the clock tower, demonstrating that the Boers had taken over.
According to local lore, the ghost of the disgraced magistrate wanders Fort Amiel looking for his keys, to this day. Eksteen has been hosting ‘Night at the Museum’ at Fort Amiel annually since 2011. His plans for future events include combining the ghost evening with a live band performance and stargazing.
“Various cultures have beliefs and legends about the stars, and about the influence of the planets on daily life. A history lesson about these myths and legends is something I want to include in the next ‘Night at the Museum’,” he said.
Eksteen anticipates that construction of the Zulu village and the canteen at Fort Amiel will be completed in the next six months. He urges residents to visit the museum and invites visitors to share any ghost stories they have heard, with him.
“Maybe, in the future, we can host a ghost tour through the town,” he concluded.
See photos here:
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