Shot of Spirits: Episode 11: The Smithfield Hotel, South Australia.

 

Shot of Spirits: Episode 11: 

The Smithfield Hotel, South Australia.

It has long been alleged that the Smithfield Hotel, on Main North Road, Smithfield, South Australia, is haunted!

Thanks to the Playford's Past website for the use of historical photographs.

 The Shooting Death of E. Beckmann

 On Sunday 29 December 1850, E. Beckmann (sometimes published as Breckmond in local newspapers) was passing a house on the Gawler Plains, between Smiths Creek and Salisbury (in what would be Elizabeth today). As he passed one of the only houses on the plains, a hostile ferocious dog set upon him.
 Beckmann went for his gun. Instead of shooting the dog, he attempted to keep it away by swinging the butt of the gun at it. Beckmann was holding the gun by the barrel end, he swung the gun meaning to slam it down onto the dog, smashing it into the ground. As the gun hit the ground it fired, sending its contents directly into Beckmann’s abdomen, shredding his insides.^[1]

 

The gunshot alerted nearby workers who found Beckmann. He lasted just half an hour before he died from the severity of his injuries.

 The following day he was taken to Smith’s Hotel (now the Smithfield Hotel) for an inquest. Mr Bromley acted as chairperson, with members of the public acting as jury. It was discovered that Beckmann had on his person £1 5.s in money, a pocketbook, and a watch, so robbery was ruled out. After a short deliberation, Beckmann’s death was ruled ‘accidental’.^[2] His remains were taken to Gawler where he was buried in the Gawler Cemetery (now Pioneer Park).^[3]

 There remains a mystery as to who Mr Beckmann was, with nothing found on his body to identify next of kin.

© Allen Tiller 2022

---

[1] 'Local News.', South Australian, (3 Jan 1851), p. 2., http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article71685742.

[2] 'The German Constituencies in South Australia.', South Australian Register, (2 Jan 1851), p. 2.,  http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38442071

[3] Pioneer Park – Gawler Old Cemetery Name List, Gawler History Team, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-BRCBQFhkf0PR6W9FosfFmaJDAn3PpBm/view.

"Matilda"- The Smithfield Hotel

The Smithfield Hotel

The Smithfield Hotel is situated on the corner of Anderson Walk and Main North Road about 35 km’s north of Adelaide, South Australia.

The town of Smithfield was originally known as “Smith’s Creek” and was entirely owned by John Smith, who designed the town and was forced by the government to sell allotments to the public.
In 1854 Smith sold 9 allotments in his planned town, and thus, Smithfield was established.

John Smith had designed his town down to the minute detail, including a small hotel that would be on the outskirts of the village. The hotel, which featured horse stables, overnight accommodation and a bar, was situated right on the edge of the “Great North Road” as it was called in those days.

Smith chose his location well, and soon his hotel was a mail stop on the route to Gawler. Once copper was discovered in Kapunda, “The Wheatsheaf Hotel” (also known as Smith’s Inn) became an overnight stopping point for travellers and bullock drays transporting copper.
It took up to twelve hours to travel between Gawler and Adelaide in those days, so Smith’s Inn became the outer most stopping point before Gawler when heading north.

By the 1860’s Smithfield, as it was now known, had a Blacksmith, Post Office, Schools, Churches and an Undertaker and was a thriving northern outpost of metropolitan Adelaide.


The Smithfield Hotel is allegedly haunted by a former worker named “Matilda”.

Matilda seems to come and go as she pleases and can disappear for years at a time, only to reappear and begin her haunting once again.
Matilda can be seen in the front bar on occasion, but is also seen in the kitchen and sometimes in the accommodation sections, although this is much rarer. Descriptions of her appearance are few and far between, but she is described as being an “older lady” by witnesses.

I have had a drink in this hotel when I lived in the area in the late 1990’s. There was talk at the time by the local barflies of another ghost haunting the nearby intersection.
This ghost was to do with a car accident that happened at the intersection in front of the hotel. For a short while, the young male victim would be seen by patrons, standing on the centre verge of the road at night, until one day, he was seen no more…


Witnessed a ghost at The Smithfield Hotel? Head on over to our facebook page and tell us about your experience!

 https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntsOfAdelaide/

Bibliography

 Marshall, G, 2013. ghosts and hauntings of South Australia. 4th ed. Australia: self-published

Playford's Past: Smithfield. 2016. Playford's Past: Smithfield., viewed 12 September 2016, http://playfordspast.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/smithfield.html. 

State Library of South Australia, 2017, John Smith [B 1301], SLSA, viewed 14 July 2017, http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+1301

State Library of South Australia, 2017, Smithfield Hotel [B 31816], SLSA, viewed 14 July 2017, http://collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/resource/B+31816