• MATJIESFONTEIN BLOG
    MATJIESFONTEIN BLOG

A Matjiesfontein Ghost Story: The Lady in White

Posted on Wed March 9, 2016.

Matjiesfontein is reputed to be the most haunted town in South Africa. The history of this Karoo oasis includes; fortification during The South African War (formerly known as The Anglo-Boer War) as headquarters of the Cape Command, refuge for Jamieson Raid reformers, and the venue of controversial war crimes hearings.
With such a colourful history, many stories abound of ghost sightings, though they are after all just stories—or are they?

There are no malevolent ghosts here. The ghosts of Matjiesfontein are said to be both playful, and even mischievous, or they are totally unconcerned with events around them

You met both Lucy and Kate, and now for the next member of the cast, The Lady in White.

The legend goes that a woman in a long white dress has been seen walking in the garden. The Logan family were said to have entertained visitors so often that they were ‘always tolerant of the mostly nocturnal unseen residents, and came to know them well’.

These unseen residents made themselves known by going bump in the night, from thuds and rattles of doorknobs in distant rooms to faint laughter and the tinkle of convivial glasses.

The Lady in White, though she preferred her nightly strolls, was known not be to able to open doors, and as such would rattle the handles until some obliging member of the family would open it for her.

Though unfortunately she was slightly sensitive. The story goes that one day, on opening the door, someone spoke crossly to her. She was never heard again.

Until, the day after Jennifer Buist’s wedding (J.D Logan’s granddaughter). While she was packing her gifts she heard a movement at the door but assumed it was a Karoo zephyr. She went on packing her gifts, until the door started rattling persistently. She went to the door, and opened it.  Cold air came into the room and moved passed her towards the open window, which began to shake violently as the invisible force passed through it into the outside world.

Do you also enjoy strolls through the garden? Our lovingly curated gardens are an oasis of green amidst the Klein Karoo scrub; a fertile desert hideaway that attracts diverse birdlife. Read on for some of the highlights.