Die Vishuis
At the turn of the nineteenth century, the only buildings in Yzerfontein were a farmstead and a small thatched cottage, known as the ‘Vishuis.’ So the Vishuis is the oldest building in Yzerfontein. It was built from local gravel and limestone. The current municipal boardroom in The Vishuis used to be a storeroom for fish and salt. The building was the property of Matthys Schreuder, who was also the owner of the ‘Langhuisie’ holiday home.
The Langhuisie is the setting for a ghost story. A man who lost his head. The story tells of a widower by the name of Rozen who used to visit Mrs Schreuder when her husband was away. He formulated a plan to murder him. One of Mrs Shreuder’s daughters overheard the plan being discussed and told her father, who changed his will in her favour.
One day Schreuder went out fishing with a friend. Screuder disappeared. His friend’s body was washed up with bruises on his neck pointing at murder by strangulation. Rosen told Mrs. Schreuder he’d killed her husband but she didn’t believe him. He returned to the body, cut off the head, and brought it back to show her. It is not known what happened to the head, some say it was disposed of in the outside toilet and others say it was burned in the lime kiln. Langhuisie is said to be haunted by the ghost of the man who lost his head.
50 Main Rd, Yzerfontein,
