The Greatest Wonder of the World and American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Greatest Wonder of the World and American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium |
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| Location | 123-125 Mayne Street, Gulgong, Mid-Western Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1870–1878 |
| Owner | Gulgong Holtermann Museum |
| Official name: The Greatest Wonder of the World and American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium | |
| Type | state heritage (built) |
| Designated | 21 October 2016 |
| Reference no. | 1983 |
| Type | Museum |
| Category | Commercial |
| Builders | Unknown |
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The Greatest Wonder of the World and American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium are two historic shops located next to each other in Gulgong, New South Wales, Australia. They were built between 1870 and 1878, during the exciting time of the gold rush. Today, these old buildings have been carefully fixed up to become the Gulgong Holtermann Museum. This museum shows off the amazing Holtermann Collection of photographs, which is so important it's listed by UNESCO. The original buildings were added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 21 October 2016 because of their special history.
Contents
Gulgong's Gold Rush Story
How Gulgong Became a Gold Town
The story of Gulgong began on 14 April 1870. A local shepherd named Tom Saunder found gold on the surface of Red Hill, which is now in the middle of Gulgong. He quickly told the police, and the news spread like wildfire! Soon, a small "gold rush" started.
By June 1870, about 500 people had set up camp at a place called Adam's Lead. Newspapers even encouraged people to "now rush to Gulgong"! By January 1871, the population had exploded to 3,000. More gold was found in other nearby areas like Happy Valley and Home Rule. By the end of 1872, an incredible 20,000 people were living and working in the Gulgong goldfields!
Gold, Gold Everywhere!
The gold found in this area was some of the richest in New South Wales. In just the first four years, over 300,000 ounces of gold were dug up. Most of this gold came from old riverbeds, sometimes as deep as 60 meters underground.
Because Gulgong grew so fast, it started as a very basic town. Most buildings were quickly made from timber. People from all over the world came to Gulgong, including those from Bulgaria, Greece, Scotland, America, Canada, Ireland, and China, as well as Australians.
Traveling to Gulgong
Getting to Gulgong from Sydney was a long journey. People would take a train to Wallerawang, then a mail coach to Mudgee, and finally another coach (like Cobb and Co) or ride a horse to Gulgong. Even though it was hard, many miners felt it was worth the trip!
By 1876, the gold rush started to slow down, and by 1880, it was mostly over. Gulgong then became a smaller village, serving the local farmers and landowners.
The Historic Shops
The First Buildings
The oldest building still standing today is the small, timber and tin-lined American Tobacco Warehouse. It was built so that it could be easily accessed from the side where The Greatest Wonder shop now stands. The original Greatest Wonder building was also there in February 1871. We know this from an old advertisement and a photo taken by Henry Beaufoy Merlin in 1872. This first building was a simple timber structure that only lasted a few years. It was later rebuilt by its owner, Robert Robinson.
The Greatest Wonder of the World
The "Greatest Wonder of the World" shop was opened by Simeon Moses. He imported men's clothing and also sold boots and shoes.
When Simeon Moses decided to leave Gulgong in late 1873, he held a big sale. He moved to Mudgee to run a hotel, and his brother, Abraham Moses, took over The Greatest Wonder. But this didn't last long. The shop's furniture was sold on 14 July 1874. A week later, a newspaper announced that Abraham would take over the clothing and shoe business.
The Greatest Wonder of the World store was put up for sale on 13 March 1875. The advertisement said it was a "Splendid Freehold Property" with enough rooms for a nice hotel, including a kitchen, bathroom, and pantry. It was described as a perfect spot for a business, facing the Telegraph Office and Court House.
Three months later, on 9 June, the former Greatest Wonder was sold to Robert Robinson. When Robinson bought it, he renovated or rebuilt it, planning to make it the new post office. However, the government decided to move the post office to the Telegraph Station instead. Robinson's renovations were big! He added large windows across the front, removed the old gable roof, and built the back and side walls out of stone. Robinson sold the improved shop to Samuel Bishop in 1880.
American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium
Next door, Simeon Moses's brother, Menser Moses, ran the American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium. This building was sold to Paul Harford in 1879, and then to Charles Zimmler in 1883.
Samuel Bishop, who bought The Greatest Wonder, was an important person in Gulgong. He worked as an auctioneer and land agent, and later as the Town Clerk. After buying the shop, he used it as a bookseller and stationery store for over twenty years.
Behind these two shops was an old timber-framed house. The first room of this house might have been built around 1876 and was probably the home of Samuel Trevenen Bishop. It was a family home, and two of Bishop's daughters were born there. Samuel Bishop owned the shop until he died in Gulgong in 1915. His son-in-law, William Christian, then took over and ran a watchmaker and jewelry business there from 1934.
The Holtermann Collection
Bernhard Holtermann's Story
Bernhard Otto Holtermann came to Australia from Hamburg in 1858. He first worked as a waiter, then met a Polish miner named Ludwig Beyers. They started looking for gold in Hill End in 1861. They didn't have much luck at first, so Holtermann worked other jobs. By 1868, he was running a hotel, but he and Beyers still had a gold claim. In October 1872, their night-shift workers found the world's largest piece of gold-bearing rock! Holtermann became very rich. He later moved to St Leonards and became a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, which is like a politician.
Capturing Gold Rush Life in Photos
While in Hill End, Holtermann met photographers Henry Beaufoy Merlin and Charles Bayliss. After he found his huge "Holtermann Nugget," Holtermann helped them by paying for their project. They wanted to take photos of all the settled areas of New South Wales.
These photos included scenes from the Hill End and Gulgong goldfields. They are a very important record of what life was like during the gold rush in the early 1870s. Many of the buildings shown in these old photos of Gulgong and Hill End have now disappeared.
Some of the Holtermann photos were shown at big international exhibitions in Philadelphia and Paris, where they won awards. The collection then disappeared for many years. But in the early 1950s, the glass negatives (the original photo plates) were found again in a private home. The photos were finally shown to the public in 1953, after almost 70 years!
Among the Gulgong buildings photographed by Merlin and Bayliss were "The Greatest Wonder of the World" and the "American Tobacco Company." These photos even show the Moses brothers standing outside their shops when they owned them. These amazing photos are now celebrated at the Gulgong Holtermann Museum, which is located in those very same buildings!
Gulgong Holtermann Museum
The buildings were first fixed up in the 1970s, but later fell into disrepair. Then, they were bought to become the new Gulgong Holtermann Museum. This museum would display the UNESCO-listed Holtermann Collection, which actually features the buildings themselves! The project to create the museum started in January 2015.
The buildings then went through a big restoration. Workers tried to make the front of the buildings look just like they did in the old Holtermann photographs. The first part of this restoration was finished in May 2016. Three new multi-purpose buildings, designed by architect Jiri Lev, were built behind the original shops between 2015 and 2019. The museum officially opened its doors on 26 October 2019.
What the Buildings Look Like
These two commercial buildings from the gold rush era have sloped iron roofs and timber-framed shop fronts. They were both originally built with timber frames and covered with corrugated iron.
The American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium still looks much like it did originally. It has its old rectangular parapet (the part of the wall that sticks up above the roof) with the shop's name on it. It looks just like it did in Merlin's photo from 1872. This shop has a large front area with a door to the street and a big display window. Behind the shop, there's a small space that opens to the backyard. This American Tobacco building seems to have been built first and still has many of its original parts.
The Greatest Wonder store was mostly rebuilt in 1876. As Gulgong grew and became richer, the owner wanted to make the building better, hoping it would become the town's post office. The timber and corrugated iron walls were replaced with rough stone walls and brick corners. Large windows were added across the front, on both sides of the main door. The old gable roof was removed, and a curved verandah was added to the front.
Behind the two shop buildings, there used to be a timber-framed house. The first room of this house was older than the stone wall at the back of The Greatest Wonder shop. This was a small, one-room cottage that belonged to the owner, Samuel Trevenen Bishop. This old house is no longer standing today.
As of March 2016, the buildings were in good condition.
Why These Buildings Are Special
The Greatest Wonder of the World and the American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium are very important to the history of New South Wales. They show how the gold rushes helped create and develop towns and villages across the state. Gulgong was one of the richest goldfield areas in NSW.
These two buildings are even more special because they are connected to the Holtermann Collection of photographs. This collection gives us a unique look at how the colony developed in the 1870s. Through these photos, the buildings are linked to Bernhard Otto Holtermann, a German gold miner, who paid for the Holtermann Collection. He later became a successful businessman and politician.
The buildings also have special historical value because they are rare examples of the simple, "built-in-a-hurry" buildings from the gold rush. They were made to serve the quickly growing population around Gulgong. The way "The Greatest Wonder of the World" was rebuilt in 1876 is a great example of how a simple old building could be changed into something much more solid. This showed how the town was growing from a temporary camp to a more permanent village.
These buildings are also increasingly rare because they are still standing and were captured in the famous Holtermann Collection.
The Greatest Wonder of the World and American Tobacco Warehouse and Fancy Goods Emporium were officially listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 21 October 2016. This means they are protected because of their historical importance.
See also
