IN SEARCH OF THE ABERDEEN BED GRAVE    

The Eastern Cape is a beautiful and diverse province and has a to offer visitors and explorers.

Near the roadside between Aberdeen and Graaff-Reinet, in the middle of the veld, lies an old cast iron bedstead. The site isn’t that well known and most people would drive right by without realising it there.

According to legend, the grave is that of a woman who took ill and died while the family was trekking through the district by ox-wagon. They weren’t from the area and had no family, farm or town to return to for a proper burial in a cemetery. Her husband decided to bury her next to the road and touchingly used their marital bed to mark and protect her grave before continuing on the journey with the rest of the family.

There is no record of who she was and what date she died, but cast iron beds only became commonplace in the late 19th century so it is unlikely to have been from the time of the Great Trek.

Although the true facts will probably never be known, the grave site can be easily seen on the left on the N9 to Aberdeen, about 30 km from Graaff-Reinet. It remains undisturbed despite recent road construction in the area.

The grave is located on private land so if you’re not going to be happy only looking at it from the roadside but rather would like a closer look, please contact the farmer – Trenley Spence – at 082 898 4960.

Source: www.firefly.co.za