The corporate town of Semaphore was a

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. It was created on 20 December 1883, and re-gazetted on 17 January 1884, from areas which had been part of the

District Council of Lefevre's Peninsula The District Council of Lefevre's Peninsula was a local government area in South Australia centred on the Lefevre Peninsula from 1872 to 1884. History The council was gazetted in 1872. The council chambers were located in the Exeter Hotel at Exe ...

and

District Council of Glanville The District Council of Glanville was a Local government areas of South Australia, local government area in South Australia from 1864 to 1888. History It was first proclaimed on 14 July 1864. A month later on 11 August, another proclamation resci ...

. The separation of Semaphore would make both its former municipalities unviable, with Lefevre's Peninsula subsequently merging into the

District Council of Birkenhead The District Council of Birkenhead was a Local government areas of South Australia, local government area in South Australia centred on the suburb of Birkenhead, South Australia, Birkenhead. It was gazetted on 22 February 1877 from areas formerly ...

and Glanville with the

District Council of Woodville The City of Woodville was a Local government areas of South Australia, local government area in South Australia from 1875 to 1993, seated at the inner north west Adelaide suburb of Woodville, South Australia, Woodville. History The District Cou ...

. In 1889, the municipality acquired the Semaphore Institute building for use as the Semaphore Town Hall; the building survives today as the heritage-listed

Semaphore Library The Semaphore Library is a public library in Semaphore, South Australia. It was formerly the Semaphore Institute, Semaphore Town Hall, Ozone Theatre, and Semaphore Cinema, and is heritage-listed on both the state and national registers. Instit ...

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

s of Semaphore included Clairville, Exeter, Glanville, Largs and Scarborough, several being recognisable as the names of present-day suburbs Largs Bay, Glanville and

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

. It amalgamated with the

corporate town of Port Adelaide The City of Port Adelaide was a local government area of South Australia centred at the port of Adelaide from 1855 to 1996. Early years The council was established on 27 December 1855 when the Corporate Town of Port Adelaide was proclaimed as a ...

on 11 November 1900.

Mayors

Theodore Hack Theodore Hack (17 November 1840 – 27 December 1902) was a South Australian politician. He was born at Echunga, South Australia a son of John Barton Hack and his wife Bridget Hack, née Watson, and was educated at the Adelaide Educational Ins ...

1883–1885 * J. Neill (1886); first elected mayor * J. C. Lovely (1887) *

Frederick Wallage Kennedy The ''Port Adelaide News'' was a newspaper published in Port Adelaide, South Australia between 1876 and 1933 with various sub-titles, several breaks in publication and periods of bi-weekly publication. History The ''Port Adelaide News'' was fou ...

1889–1891 * Philip Sansom 1891–1894 * Thomas Todd (1894–1896) * William E. Deslandes 1896–1898 * Richard Bray 1898–1900 * Elijah Branford (1900) :After the amalgamation, Branford held the unique position of "Mayor of Nowhere".

References

{{Former local government areas in South Australia Semaphore, Town of 1884 establishments in Australia 1900 disestablishments in Australia