c2011 - The Blumberg Hotel
The Blumberg Hotel at Shannon Street, Birdwood
The town of Birdwood was originally named Blumberg, however the name was changed during War War I when a number of German names for townships in South Australia were changed due to community anti-german feelings. The Blumberg Hotel was built in 1856 and was originally a single-storey hotel known as the Napoleon Bonaparte Inn, apparently because some early settlers had been conscripted into Napoleon's army while still living in Silesia. It gained large-scale extensions two decades later which brought it to its present form of a two-storey bluestone building with balcony and impressive iron lacework. The old red truck suspended from the balcony was added later.
Previous Names of Blumberg Hotel
c2011 - The Blumberg Hotel[Information compiled from data originating from National Trust Recorded List (Item No. 2091), Bob Hoad and Reg Butler]
- 1856 - 1866 Napoleon Bonaparte Inn
- 1866 - 1889 Napoleon Bonaparte Hotel
- 1890 - 1918 Blumberg Hotel
- 1919 - 1973 Napoleon Hotel
- 1973 ----> The Blumberg Hotel
Publicans - The Napoleon Bonaparte/Napoloen/Blumberg Hotel, Birdwood
[Information compiled by Reg Butler (Local Historian - Hahndorf), including additional information re the respective publicans. Additional date information from Bob Hoad incorporated]
- RATHMANN, Carl Christian 18/9/1856 - 14/6/1857 and 31/3/1858 - 4/4/1860
18/9/1856-1857 Napoleon Bonaparte Inn Blumberg [Birdwood] Hotel founder
1858-1860 Napoleon Bonaparte Inn Blumberg [Birdwood]
c1915 - Horse drawn vehicles & local residents outside Kelly's Blumberg Hotel [SA Library B58996]
1864-1865 Totness Inn, Mount Pleasant
1866-1867 Woodman Inn Grenfell St
1867-1868 White Hart Hotel Hindley St
1868-1869 Mill Inn Mt Torrens
- PFEIFFER, Johann George 15/6/1857 - 30/3/1858
1857-1858 Napoleon Bonaparte Inn Blumberg [Birdwood]
1859-1860 Alma Inn Lobethal
- HAVEKER, Diedrich 5/4/1860 - 2/4/1862 and 1871 - 1880
- GUEST, Thomas W 3/4/1862 - 1/4/1863
c1895 - Heinrich's Blumberg Hotel [SA Library PRG733-514]GUEST, Thomas W (//-//)
1862-1863 Napoleon Bonaparte Inn Blumberg [Birdwood]
- JAHN, Heinrich (or HEINRICH, John) 2/4/1863 - 4/4/1866
JAHN, Heinrich (9/5/1829-28/11/1885) Born Germany. Died Adelaide SA.
1863-1866 Napoleon Bonaparte Inn Blumberg
1866-1867 District Hotel Gumeracha
1867-1873 Wellington Inn Currie St
1873-1876 National Hotel Pirie St
1877-1882 Hindmarsh Hotel Pirie St
1883-1885 Exeter Hotel Rundle St
- SCHUETZE (or SHUETZE), Gottlieb Andreas 5/4/1866 - 1871
SCHUETZE, Gottlieb Andreas (//c1817-3/5/1871). Died Blumberg SA, at his residence the Napoleon Bonaparte Hotel, after a lingering illness DN Observer 6/5/1871 p274e.
1854-1855 Australian Arms Hahndorf Hotel founder
c1911 - Birdwood start of bicycle race outside Blumberg Hotel [SA Library B19215]
1857-1861 Australian Arms Hahndorf
1862-1863 Travellers Inn near Blumberg
1863-1865 Union Inn Hahndorf Hotel founder
1866-1871 Napoleon Bonaparte Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
- WILSON, Henry 1880-1883
1880-1883 Napoleon Bonaparte Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
1885-1885 Central Hotel Pt Pirie
- RESTALL, Arthur 1883-1883
1877-1878 Huntsmans Hotel O’Connell St North Adelaide
1878-1879 Globe Hotel Clare
1880-1881 Wauraltee Hotel Pt Victoria
1883-1883 Napoleon Bonaparte Hotel Blumberg
c1915 - Horse drawn vehicles including Royal Mail Passenger Coach & early model car outside Kelly's Blumberg Hotel [SA Library B58999]
1883-1883 Criterion Hotel Bassett Town
1884-1884 Powells Hotel Hawker
- THOMSON, David 1883-1886
THOMSON, David (//c1840-21/5/1898). Born prob Co Clackmannan, Scotland. Died Parkville Vic.
1878-1879 Commercial Hotel Gawler
1880-1883 Talunga Hotel Mount Pleasant
1883-1886 Napoleon Bonaparte Hotel Blumberg
Likely to have left SA
Parents – James Thomson & Celia nee MATHEW.
To SA 1855 Europa, with parents and siblings.
Saddler; Gawler, Willaston then Publican; Gawler, Mt Pleasant, Blumberg. Presbyterian, Congregational.
m 1/3/1862 St George Gawler, Caroline nee FREESTUN (6/8/1843-20/6/1892) Born Adelaide SA. Born Towcumwall SA. Parents – Edward Lockyer Freestun & Catherine nee MILLER.
- MILLARD, George Henry 1886-1887
1886-1887 Napoleon Bonaparte Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
- MILLARD, Edward 1887-1890
MILLARD, Edward (//c1860-6/5/1891). Died Gawler SA, at his residence the Old Spot Hotel.
1884-1887 Miners’ Arms Hotel Palmer
1887-1890 Napoleon Bonaparte then Blumberg Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
1890-1891 Old Spot Hotel Gawler
Parents – John Millard &
m 17/12/1883 Woodside Hotel Woodside, publican Nelly Florence nee McNamara.
MILLARD, Mrs Edward nee Nelly Florence MCNAMARA (//c1863-//) Apparently not Born SA. Died perhaps not SA.
1891-1892 Old Spot Hotel Gawler
1892-1894 Huntsmans Hotel O’Connell St North Adelaide
1895-1897 Scotch Thistle Hotel Kermode St
1897-1897 Wellington Hotel Wellington Square North Adelaide
1897-1898 Supreme Court Hotel Gouger St
Parents – John McNamara &
The Millards lived at Balhannah and Blumberg during the 1880s.
- WEGENER, Julius 1890- 1891
WEGENER, Johann Heinrich Julius (//c1854-//by 1937)
1890-1891 Blumberg Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
1897-1899 German Arms Hotel Hahndorf
Parents – Christoph Wegener &
Settled; Blumberg by 1888.
Advertisement hotel changeover Mt Barker Courier 29/4/1898
m 27/11/1875 Bride father Gottlieb Kloke residence near Blumberg, publican Johanne Luise nee Kloke.
WEGENER, Mrs JHW nee Johanne Luise KLOKE (//c1856-6/9/1937) Died Adelaide SA (of Mitcham).
1907-1910 Highbury Hotel Highbury
Parents – Gottlieb Kloke &
Perhaps aunt to publican Mrs JW Burton nee Minna Clara Spoehr.
- HEINRICH, Simon John 1891-1898
HEINRICH, Johann Simon (Simon John) (//-//)
1887-1891 Crown Hotel Reynella
1891-1898 Blumberg Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
Parents of publican Carl Christoph Charles Christopher Heinrich
daughter Annie Maria nee Heinrich (//c1867-//) m 27/6/1890 Crown Inn Reynella, David Norman PEEK (//c1865-//) Parents – David Massey Peek &
daughter Emilie Louise nee Heinrich (//c1870-//) m 19/12/1898 St Peters Cathedral North Adelaide, William John HOCKING (//c1870s-//) Parents – William Hill Hocking &
- CLAUSSEN, Mrs Anna Auguste Wilhelmine 1898-1910
CLAUSEN, Mrs Francis Louis nee Anna Auguste Wilhelmine SCHRADER (26/5/1863-30/11/1947)
1898-1910 Blumberg Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
1910-1918 Maitland Hotel Maitland
Parents – publicans Heinrich Schrader & Wilhelmine nee Oelmann.
m 30/11/1892 Holy Trinity Adelaide, Francis Frank Louis Clausen (18/4/1864-26/9/1907) Born Adelaide SA. Died North Adelaide SA (of Blumberg).
- KELLY, John E 1910-1919
KELLY, John E (//-//)
1910-1919 Blumberg then Napoleon Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
This publican changed both business and township name.
- FOWLER, Thomas H 1919-1920
FOWLER, Thomas Henry (21/9/1878-//) Born Clare SA.
1919-1920 Napoleon Hotel Blumberg [Birdwood]
Parents – Robert John Fowler & Susan nee FRYAR
Of good repute. Married. Barman at the Bridgeport Hotel Murray Bridge before becoming a publican GRG 67/24 Vol 1 p106
- ANDERSON, Sidney C 1920-1927
ANDERSON, Sidney C (//-//)
1920-1927 Napoleon Hotel Birdwood
Married. Employed in saw mills before becoming a publican GRG 67/24 Vol 1 p128
- SHAW, Alice E 1927-1929
SHAW, Alice Esther (//-//)
1927-1929 Napoleon Hotel Birdwood
1930-1931 Buckingham Arms Hotel Gilberton
- ROLPH, Joseph Henry 1929 - died 13/3/1935
ROLPH, Joseph Henry (//-13/3/1935) Did he die in SA?
1930-1935 Napoleon Hotel Birdwood
- ROLPH, Mrs Laura 1935-1944
ROLPH, Mrs JH nee Laura (//c1870-30/7/1962) Died Fullarton SA (of Somerton Park).
1935-1944 Napoleon Hotel Birdwood
- WALKOM, Leslie Henry 1944-1947
WALKOM, Leslie Henry (//-//). Probably not Born SA.
1944-1947 Napoleon Hotel Birdwood
1947-1952 Rising Sun Hotel Lobethal
WALKOM, Mrs LH nee Margaret BYRON (//-//) Probably not Born SA.
1944-1944 Rhynie Hotel Rhynie
