Jacob Street
| Place type: | Locality |
|---|---|
| Town or Locality: | Gawler |
Click here to see photos of Jacob Street.
Originally Jacob Street ran from Murray Street all the way through to Paterson Terrace, but the section between Murray Street and Reid Street has been developed - now it consists of Jacob Lane at the Murray Street end and the Big W complex/carpark at the Reid Street End.
Jacob Street has homes and buildings within it that are in Town of Gawler State or Contributory heritage list, including:
The old Fire Station and Salvation Army Hall also once stood on Jacob Street but were demolished.
Jacob Street was also the site of South Australia's first public drinking water fountain. It was installed in November 1859 by resident James Mold,[1] outside his home and baker's shop on Jacob Street (north east of the Reid Street corner), the tap "“was within a recess covered by a wooden arch shaded by an evergreen, and the motto on the arch was: "Let the thirsty drink." Within the recess were two seats.”[2] James was a strong advocate for abstinence from alcohol - the drinking fountain would have provided an alternative to Gawler's many pubs when “water was dear and scarce”.[2]
Residents of Jacob Street
'Lot 49'
- Lot 49 was located on southern side of Jacob Street and is part of the Woolworths/Big W Complex and Carpark in 2026 (Note lot numbers are not the same as street numbers - see Lot 49 on the historic Gawler Town Plan)
- 1860 8 two-room cottages were built on the lot and tenanted out, initially under the management of Frederick Foote Turner[3]
- 1867-1878 cottages were under management of Lawson's Trustees and William Broderick was one of the tenants (it seems two of the smaller cottages were combined to create a larger dwelling, as there were only 7 cottages remaining and the one the Broderick's occupied was rated higher)[3]
- 1885 C G Dow owned the cottages, and occupied one which was now a dwelling and store[3] (a step up for Dow who had operated the Night Cart!)[4]
- 1888-1891 6 cottages remained, were under management of W R Lewis and John Curnow was occupier of two of them.[3] [click here for more details on the Curnow family] By this stage the cottages would have been 30 years old and the low council rates reflect they were pretty lowly.[3]
Part 'Lot 81'
- Lot 81 was located on Jacob Street on the north eastern corner of the Reid Street intersection and is part of the Woolworths/Big W Complex and Carpark in 2026 (Note lot numbers are not the same as street numbers - see Lot 81 on the historic Gawler Town Plan)
- 1851- onwards, James Mold and family occupied this site, by 1860 he had a shop & 3 rooms, bakehouse & outbuildings where her resided and ran his business as a baker. After his death in 1869, his widow Elizabeth Mold retained the property and then upon her death in 1888 it passed to their son Edwin James Mold. He was still there at the time of his death in 1943.[5] [In the 1939-1943 electoral rolls the site was referred to as 24 Jacob Street, but this is not the same as contemporary 24 Jacob Street - the street was renumbered likely in the 1950s].
References
- ↑ (The South Australian Advertiser 5 Nov 1859) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1198908
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 (Bunyip 3 Sep 1943) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/96865194
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Gawler Environment & Heritage Association Inc (2004) Gawler Historical Rates Assessment Database Gawler Historical Rates Assessment Database Project
- ↑ South Australian Register (27 Sep 1882) https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/43332922
- ↑ Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 via Ancestry
Memories of Jacob Street
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