Marshalltown, Gauteng
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Marshalltown is a
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
of
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. It is located in Region F of the
City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality () is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite se ...
. The area, together with
Ferreirasdorp Ferreirasdorp (or Ferreirastown) is an inner-city suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. First known as Ferreira's Camp () and later Ferreira's Township, it is the oldest par ...
was previously home to a large concentration of
Eastern European Jewish The expression ''Eastern European Jewry'' has two meanings. Its first meaning refers to the current political spheres of the Eastern European countries and its second meaning refers to the Jewish communities in Russia and Poland. The phrase 'Ea ...
immigrants. As the community's economic position improved, they mostly migrated to more middle-class Jewish areas such as
Doornfontein Doornfontein ( ) is an inner-city suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, located to the east of the city centre. It is in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. In the 1930s, it attracted many Jewish immigrants, becoming ...
,
Hillbrow Hillbrow () is an inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty, prostitution and crime. It had a large and active Jewish commun ...
and
Yeoville Yeoville is an inner city neighbourhood of Johannesburg, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. It is located in Region F (previously Region 8). Originally intended as a "well-to-do" neighbourhood, it instead developed into a white working ...
.


History

The suburb has its origin as farmland owned by Frederick Bezuidenhout Junior. This small strip of land on the farm ''Turffontein'', was adjacent to the
South African Republic The South African Republic (, abbreviated ZAR; ), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer republics, Boer republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it was annexed into the British Empire as a result ...
-owned land of Rantjeslaagte which was soon to be proclaimed as the township of Johannesburg on 8 November 1886. The land was purchased by two businessmen, Henry Brown Marshall and his brother-in-law William M'Laren, in September 1886. The land would eventually be quickly surveyed with 553 stands and one market square which would later be known as Marshall Square. At the time, the township's name was known as Marshall's Dorp. By 26 November 1887, the township's boundaries were incorporated into Johannesburg. They would establish a
brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...
on eight stands in Marshalltown but sold it in 1894. The brewery's logo consisted of three castles and would eventually become part of
South African Breweries South African Breweries (officially The South African Breweries Limited, informally SAB) is a major brewery headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa and was a wholly owned subsidiary of SABMiller until its interests were sold to Anheuser-Bu ...
. In August 2023 the 2023 Johannesburg building fire took place.


Jewish community

In the late nineteenth century, a significant number of
Eastern European Jewish The expression ''Eastern European Jewry'' has two meanings. Its first meaning refers to the current political spheres of the Eastern European countries and its second meaning refers to the Jewish communities in Russia and Poland. The phrase 'Ea ...
immigrants settled in the area and neighbouring
Ferreirasdorp Ferreirasdorp (or Ferreirastown) is an inner-city suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. First known as Ferreira's Camp () and later Ferreira's Township, it is the oldest par ...
. The community was mostly impoverished and the Adath Ysroel Orthodox Synagogue was built to meet the spiritual needs of the burgeoning community in the district.The Jewish Community of Johannesburg, 1886-1939: Landscapes of Reality and Imagination
University of Pretoria. December 2004
It was uncommon for the district's Jewish residents to work as miners, but most provided goods and services to the nearby mines. The district was also a point of interaction between the impoverished Jewish immigrants and the poverty-stricken black mine-workers. The economic situation of much of the Jewish residents improved, as they became shopkeepers and artisans. This allowed these residents to leave the poor conditions of the district and migrate to middle-class Jewish areas such as
Doornfontein Doornfontein ( ) is an inner-city suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, located to the east of the city centre. It is in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. In the 1930s, it attracted many Jewish immigrants, becoming ...
,
Hillbrow Hillbrow () is an inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is known for its high levels of population density, unemployment, poverty, prostitution and crime. It had a large and active Jewish commun ...
and
Yeoville Yeoville is an inner city neighbourhood of Johannesburg, in the province of Gauteng, South Africa. It is located in Region F (previously Region 8). Originally intended as a "well-to-do" neighbourhood, it instead developed into a white working ...
.


References

Johannesburg Region F Jews and Judaism in Johannesburg {{Johannesburg-stub