Historical

Bridgetown Historical Society holds it's club night on the first Tuesday of the month in the Church of Christ Hall Hester Street Bridgetown, 7 till 9.

Our format is quite casual, if you have an interest in history, particularly Bridgetown’s history come and join us.

From time to time we have guest speakers or outings, the outings are usually on a Saturday or Sunday.

Email: bridgetownhistory@y7mail.com

President: Patricia Higgott 9761- 4226

Vice President: Phillip Anderson 9761- 4311

Secretary: Shirley Griffiths 9761-4704

P.O. Box 1017 Bridgetown 6255.

If are looking into family or town history that includes Bridgetown please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Our photo collection is one to be envied, last count was over 1500.

We are the custodians of the Old Bridgetown Lock Up, Old Gaol as it is fondly known

to locals and was built in 1880.

Volunteers open this each Saturday from 10 till 2 and endeavor to open public holidays.

Events

From time to time we present Exhibitions; our last one in November 2009 was a Photographic Exhibition that ran for two months at the Bridgetown Pottery Restaurant and Gallery.

Currently we have one running on the Gentle Arts, embroidery, lace, cross stitch, arts of yesteryear, at the Old Gaol Hampton Street Bridgetown, 10 till 2 Saturdays until the end of May. We will also be open Saturday Sunday & Monday over Easter.

At our next club night April 6th our guest speakers will be Eric & Frieda Tillman

who give us a talk on what it was like to work in the Apple industry at it’s peak in Bridgetown.

Settled in 1857.

Herewith I have the honour to forward a plan of the townsite laid out at Geegeelup (The name was probably taken from the local Aboriginal term for the fresh water crustaceans found in the lock brook. The local tribe called these "guglies" and incorporated them into their diet. Other people changed this term to"gilgies")

Some of the settlers wish me to suggest the name of “Bridgetown” as it is at a bridge and the “HMS Bridgetown” was the first ship to put in at Bunbury to carry wool from these districts. The name of the brook “Geegeelup” is also a very good name and one by which the place is well known, besides keeping up the native name.”

Proclaimed as“Bridgetwon”

On June 4^th, 1868, and gazetted 5 days later by Governor Hampton. In the same issue of the Government Gazette was an advertisement for the 55 town lots, available at £5 per lot ($10) Settlement spread along the fertile river valley with large pastoral leases along the hills. Some of the more prominent homes that still survive are Bridgedale (1862) The Grange, the Rectory (1894), Ford House (1896)

The districts population slowly increased until the end of the century when the development of the timber sawmilling industry and the opening of the railway line in 1898 gave an added boost to the region’s economy at a time when the demand for agricultural goods was stagnating.