King William's Town - Amathole Museum (formerly Kaffrarian Museum)

The Amathole Museum owes its existence to the Natural History Society founded in King William's Town in 1884. The first section of the museum was opened in 1898, and this was followed by a series of extensions, most recently in 1979, when the old Post Office was incorporated in the complex.

The main part of the museum is the natural history section. Among the collections of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and insects is a female hippopotamus called Huberta which became famous in 1928-31, when she roamed up and down the coast between St Lucia and King William's Town, where she was finally shot. There are also sections on the history and way of life of the Xhosa (Xhosa Gallery in the old Post Office building) and of the British and