The Lower Albany Historical Society is dedicated to uncovering, sharing, and preserving the historical narratives of our region for future generations.
For more than 60 years we have been proud to be one of the most established societies in Ndlambe (Lower Albany), and LAHS is also one of the most active and well supported. Our vibrant Committee meets every month to generate appealing ideas for LAHS activities.
How did LAHS start?
In August 1957 Edward Morse-Jones, a local historian and chronicler, gathered an enthusiastic group of like-minded people to form an 1820 Settler association. Soon after, an exhibition of artefacts and items of settler interest was held at the Bathurst Agricultural Showgrounds. After this initial and successful event, the Lower Albany Historical Society was launched in February 1958.
By 1968 LAHS had 50 members and had published a magazine. The annual Toposcope Journal succeeded it in 1970. A Museum Committee, formed in 1971, established a place to store and display artefacts. So began a long-standing relationship between the Society and the Kowie Museum, where a bust of Ted Morse-Jones can be seen, as well as his research on settler families. LAHS honours this founding member further through its Morse-Jones Memorial Lecture every August.