The town of Bethlehem, Free State, is founded

The town of Bethlehem was founded in 1864 (other sources claim 1869). It is nestled in the Maluti Mountains in the Free State Province and is one of the towns that grew rapidly after it was founded. The rapid growth was due to the town being connected to Johannesburg, Harrismith and Bloemfontein by rail. The town’s name is of Hebrew origin and means “house of bread”. It is so named because the town boasts fertile land where wheat grows in abundance.