He was a publican, which in itself carried great weight and allowed for him to afford a headstone and well-positioned grave in Smythesdale Cemetery.

Ah Tan owned the popular British Queen Hotel, a place well-documented in news and police reports for patrons written up on drunk and disorderly or public swearing offences.

He is one of the characters that Haddon-based historian Laurie Moore says help create a much-needed sense of place in a community.

Mr Moore, who has written an extensive history to mark the town's 150^th anniversary, said he often met people who had spent years in country towns but lacked a connection.

"Even some people don't realise some of the beautiful back roads in the area, such as south of Lake Burrumbeet," Mr Moore said. "If you know the history of a place, it can anchor a sense of place and belonging.

"All the focus [history-wise] so far has been on Smythesdale and Haddon really hasn't got a mention."

Haddon went through a boom phase in the 1870s when at its peak the town boasted at least 12 pubs and six schools. Bo Peep school quickly failed according to reports citing pupils could not see their teacher - so heavy was the rain coming through a leaky roof.

The population for the area, including adjoining district Nintingbool, was about 3000 people.

Modern Haddon, in a growth phase while keeping rural residential house blocks, has a population of almost 1300 people, according to last year's Census. There is one state school with about 260 students.

During the gold rush, Haddon became a hub for alluvial mining and this picked up more as Ballarat shifted its focus to quartz mining.

Mr Moore said Chinese miners saved the Haddon gold fields.

"European miners couldn't match their diligence and risk-taking," Mr Moore said. "Ah Moy took over one of the biggest mines in Haddon. The Chinese demonstrated what they could do and were valued."

By the 1890s, Mr Moore said Haddon became a "dead" town and the population dried up. The location of major mines determined the shape of the town, largely as it is still considered today.

Haddon's social life in its early days was tied to sporting events. Mr Moore found accounts of Redan and Sebastopol men attending Haddon dances - only to typically start fights with locals.

The town celebrations of a different kind this weekend. There will be official acknowledgements of Country and history before super vegetable competition, Devonshire tea and open house at the fire station.

IN OTHER NEWS

Smythesdale Cemetery, which opened in 1859, will host Haddon-focused tours on Sunday.

More than 350 people in the Smythesdale Cemetery have been identified with home addresses for Haddon, Sago Hill and Nintingbool. About 10 have headstones and are located in solid areas that are neither wet not muddy.

Most people from the area are buried in the Catholic section and about 45 per cent of Chinese miners buried in the cemetery are from the Haddon region. Sago Hill was where the major Chinese camp was located.

Publican Ah Tan is buried with his seven-year-old son in the Church of England section.

Smythsdale Cemetery's Rosemary Angus said the headstone, inscribed with Chinese, was a rarity in the section and likely buried at the instruction of his wife Maryanne. She took over running the British Queen Hotel, constructed with weatherboard shingles and with 11 rooms, was valued at 12 pounds, 45 shillings and no pence.

"There are a lot of publicans in the cemetery and that's the reality. If you really wanted to make money, you needed to sell things to miners that miners really need," Ms Angus said.

"That's why you see them with headstones - a lot of miners were buried in unmarked graves - and you paid for a private burial. Those buried on the main driveway cost a premium."

Crown Lands commissioner James Joseph Casey declared the Town of Haddon on October 21, 1872. He announced five-acre lots outside the township granted for settlement.

Many of this historic homesteads and pubs from Haddon's golden era might no longer stand but Mr Moore said stories were vital to keeping the town's legacy alive.

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