(prior to 1910)

Umxelo was established in 1839 by the Reverend Richard Birt as a station of the London Missionary Society. At that stage it was popularly referred to as Birt's Mission, and was located a short distance from the village of Chief Bhotomani, near Fort Beaufort. The station was destroyed in 1846 during the course of the frontier war of 1846-48, better known as the War of the Axe.

When hostilities drew to an end in 1848, the missionaries moved to a new site closer to King William's Town where they established the Peelton mission station. This they named in honour of the British Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel. The new station was destroyed during the frontier war of 1850-53, and was rebuilt in 1853. The 1875 census indicated that Peelton had a population of 1,512. By 1904 this number had risen to 2,487, of whom 576 were literate.

The Reverend Birt's first wife came out from England with him in July 1838, and died in an accident thereafter. Birt then married Mrs Scott, the daughter of Robert Hart of Glen Avon who was also a wealthy widow in her own right.

On 4 August 2017 at 09h00, the National Heritage Council of South Africa (NHC) Chief Executive, Sonwabile Mancotywa, will be visiting a Historic Church Building in Peelton situated a few kilometres out of King Williams Town. The Peelton Congregational Church was built in 1875 by Reverent Birt from the London Missionary Society. This 142 years old church also hosted a school that produced many of South Africa’s leaders such as Walter Rubusana, Steve Tshwete and others. The building is said to be in a terrible state even though it is still being used by the largely impoverished community. The visit of Mancotywa, accompanied by the South African Heritage Resources Agency (SAHRA) and some of the elders as well as alumni will assess the heritage value of the church and come up with interventions to rescue this historic building from disappearing. “This could be one of the historic landmarks that represents the impact of mission stations to the people of the Eastern Cape province and later the country. It is important for the history to be preserved and find its place in the heritage landscape of South Africa. The value that this site may add to the lives of the community cannot be underestimated”, says Adv. Sonwabile Mancotywa the CEO of the NHC.
 
Peelton Clinic
We are a government/public organisation. We are a provincial primary health care facility providing HIV and TB-related treatment, care and support services. We have a community oriented primary health care programme that monitors and proactively works towards the improved health and wellbeing of families in our area. We provide HIV counselling and testing (HCT) and if necessary are able to take specimens and send them to our nearest laboratory to determine the CD4 cell count and viral load. We are an accredited antiretroviral (ARV) treatment initiation and on-going treatment site. We run a monthly support group for TB and HIV-positive patients. A social worker is available to help people apply for identity documents, birth certificates and social grants. There is a doctor in attendance once a week. Patients are referred to Bisho Hospital for further medical treatment. We distribute fortified porridge to malnourished patients as well as underweight TB, HIV patients. We provide home-based care services for sick people and support for their vulnerable family members. We provide assessments and referrals for people with mental health issues. We also provide maternity services for pregnant women. We provide counselling before referring survivors of abuse and rape for further assistance. We serve the community of Buffalo City and surrounding municipalities. We are open from 07:30 to 16:00, Monday to Friday. Our services are free of charge.
Geolocation
-32° 46' 56.7218", 27° 27' 56.9621"
Further Reading
https://www.sahistory.org.za/.../postal-history-women-colonial-po.html
www.sahistory.org.za/article/mission-stations-n-s