Topics in Eikerhistorie 2025-2027 "Eikerhistorie 2025-2027" is a project under the auspices of the association EIKERHISTORIE, which is an umbrella organization in which other voluntary organizations in Eiker can be members. The members as of today are Eiker Historielag, Eiker Arkiv/Sameia Kulturminnedag, Nøstetangensenteret, Hellefossen Elveeierlag and Østsiden Jeger- og Fiskerforening. It may be appropriate to invite more participants during the project period. Samfunnet under Hellefossen This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person's role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Nøstetangen - Norway's first glassworks This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person's role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. War years at Eiker This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person's role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Setre og boplasser på Eiker This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person's role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Eikers skihistorie - topp og bredde This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person's role and responsibilities, or add a short bio. Vestfos Cellulosefabrik This is your Team Member description. Use this space to write a brief description of this person's role and responsibilities, or add a short bio.

Diverse industrial development in the 18th century – machine mills, silk saws and factories Much of what happened in the 18th century was a further development of older technology. Alongside the small and simple stream saws came large grist and sifting mills – also called “Dutch mills” or “machine mills”. The first grist mill was established by Peder Tyrholm, who bought the Borge farm in Nedre Eiker and renamed it Møllenhof. He received a royal privilege to operate a grist mill in 1737, and in 1756 this was expanded to operate a sifting mill, which was based on grinding imported wheat. Later, Møllenhof was taken over by the famous mill builder Godberg Poulsen from Flensburg. Both grist and sifting mills became increasingly common during the 18th century. There were machine mills at Mjøndalen, on the Fossesholmsgrunn near Vestfossen and Hærebro near Skotselv. At the same time, important improvements were made at the sawmills. This was particularly linked to the invention of the "silk saw", which meant that one had several saw blades in the same frame. Instead of cutting one board at a time, one could then cut many boards at once. However, it was not simply allowed to increase production. In 1688, quantity regulations had been introduced, which set a ceiling on how much could be cut each year at the individual sawmill. Some sawmill owners then began to buy up smaller sawmills and transfer the quantity from there to the larger sawmills. Vestfossen and Skotselv consolidated their position as the largest sawmill locations, but sawmills also grew rapidly in Mjøndalen, by the Hoenselva and at Vendelborg during the 18th century. Other forms of industry also emerged during the 18th century. At Møllenhof, the production of linseed oil and green soap was started in addition to the groat and sifting mills. The term "silk saw" is used for a gang saw with several blades. The oldest water saws had only one blade, and the same log had to be cut many times. It could take many hours, even days, to cut a large log into planks and tables. With silk saws, the entire log could be cut in one operation. Of all the important technological innovations of the 18th century, the silk saw was perhaps the one that had the greatest impact on Eiker. At Hoenselva there were both wadmelstampers, which stamped wool into wadmels, and feldbereder tampers, which stamped hides to be used in the tanneries. Nail hammers appeared in many places, including at Skotselv and in Vestfossen. A small nail hammer in Dørja was moved to Krokstadelva, where it was expanded into a large enterprise under the name Krogstad Spiiger Fabrique. It was in operation for more than 100 years, and eventually also produced other iron products. Even more advanced was supposedly the hardware factory Friderichsminde, which was established at Stensrudfossen in Bingselva at the end of the 18th century. It was actually located in Modum, but was run by Frantz Neumann, who was the owner of Hassel Jernverk. Farm grinders and stream saws Mills and mills are documented in Eiker in written sources from the late 13th century, but have probably existed since the Viking Age. From Hoenselva we know the name Kverne, close to the place where Eiker Mølle is located today. The place name "Mjøndalen" comes from "Mylnardalen" – Mill Valley. At Vestfossen the noble estates Berg and Foss had their mills, and there were also large mills at Krokstadelva and Solbergelva, where the owners most likely ground the grain for many of the farms nearby. This was also industry, in the sense that water power was used to perform the work instead of muscle power. But the difference was of course great between the small mills by streams and rivers and the factories of the industrial age. The first water saws were not particularly large or complicated structures either. We estimate that the first up-and-over saws at Eiker were built around 1500, and when the Eikværings were required to pay taxes to Akershus Castle in 1528-29, many of the farmers paid in the form of sawmills. Within a few decades, more than 100 large and small water saws were built around Eiker, and sawmilling and lumber trade became an important industry for the Eiker farmers.

Ironworks - Hassel and Eidsfos Hasselverket Da glassverket på Nøstetangen startet opp i 1741. var Hasselverket alt en veletablert bedrift, mer enn hundre år gammelt og et anerkjent jernverk. Det produserte både smijern, som smedene brukte som råstoff til sine produkter, og mange typer støpejernsprodukter. Mest kjent – både i samtid og ettertid – var nok Hassel for sine «jernkakkelovner», med jernplater som var små kunstverk. De ble støpt i treformer med utskjæringer som var laget av noen av de fremste treskjærerne i landet. Rokokkoperioden på siste halvdel av 1700-tallet regnes som en storhetstid for denne ovnskunsten, og rokokko-ovnene fra Hassel er en interessant parallell til glasskunsten fra Nøstetangen i samme periode. Motivene var hentet fra bibelhistorien, men også fra gresk og romersk mytologi. Landets konger ble også hyllet, og noen av de aller rikeste borgerne kunne også spesialbestille ovner med sitt eget monogram. Eiere i denne perioden var familien Neumann, slektninger av Cappelen på Fossesholm og medlemmer av det lokale handelspatrisiatet. Jacob Hansen Neumann var eier fra 1746 til han døde i 1777. Deretter sto enken hans, Verkets hovedgruver lå i Hasselåsen på Modum, men det hadde også gruver andre steder på Eiker og ikke minst ved Arendal, der det ble utvunnet jernmalm av en helt spesiell kvalitet, som ble fraktet sjøveien til Eiker. Selve verket med den store masovnen lå ved Daler på Eiker og ble drevet med vannkraft fra Bingselva. Sammen med sagbrukene, som lå litt lenger ned i elva, la det grunnlaget for tettstedet Skotselv Eidsfos Ironworks Eidsfos ironworks was started in 1697 by Caspar Herman von Hausmann – grandfather of Caspar Herman von Storm, who played such a central role at the Nøstetangen glassworks. The ironworks was located in Hof parish in Jarlsberg county, but it was still connected to Eiker in several ways. Many of the works' mines were located in the area between Drammensdalen and Eikeren – most at Konnerud, but also partly at Eiker. The farmers at Eiker were probably involved in ore hauling for the works and in deliveries of coal and wood. Together with Kongsberg Sølvverk and Hassel ironworks, Eidsfos was a competitor for Nøstetangen in the fight for forest resources. Much of the transport to and from Eidsfos also went through Eiker. Ore and other goods for the plant were rowed up the Drammenselva and Vestfosselva rivers to Vestfossen and onward by sailing yacht across Fiskumvannet and Eikeren. Together with the timber rafting and the transport of goods for the Silver Plant, the transport to Hassel and Eidsfos made the waterway at Eiker an important transport artery. It helped to employ a growing population of farmhands and workers.

What did it cost back then in the 18th century? In the Danish-Norwegian coinage system, the rigsdaler species was the main coin from 1544 to 1813, and in Norway it was usually called daler or species. In 1625, 1 rigsdaler = 4 ort = 6 marks = 96 shillings Skilling was a unit of currency used in Norway between 1505 and 1875. Converted to today's exchange rate, one skilling was worth approximately 1.50 NOK. Courant or kurant means small coin. 10 kroner for us was equivalent to 3,655 kroner in 1701. This corresponds to a price increase from 1701 to 2012 of 36,450%. The krone was introduced in 1875 in both Norway and Denmark. Salaries A servant who worked for a farmer earned 10-12 rigsdaler a year, but also had room and board. A maid had half the salary, 5-6 rigsdaler. In a year, a miner could earn 50 rigsdaler. In Norway, glass workers became a high-wage group. Cabin manager Christian Fillion at the crown glass cabin (window glass) in Hurdal 288 rigsdaler a year Blows away 192 rigsdaler a year in the same place Starts at the same place 120 rigsdaler a year In addition, various bonus schemes came in the amount of 3 - 6 riksdaler per month. Schoolmaster in the same place in 1776 28 rigsdaler a year Unskilled Norwegian workers 36-72 rigsdaler a year Salaries compared to Kongsberg Sølvverk The salaries are based on the Silver Works' accounts during the years the Skarra mines were in operation (1770-1798). 1st class miners: Exceeds 120 rigsdaler a year Sharpens 120 rigsdaler a year Prices Beef, 14-15 kilos: 1 rdl Clipfish, 8-20 kilos: 1 rdl Herring, 1 barrel: 3 rdl Sugar, 1 kilo: 1 tbsp Butter, 4-5 kilos: 1 tbsp Tobacco, 3 kilos: 1 rdl Barley flour, 1 barrel (139 liters): 3 rdl Spirits, simple, 1 pot (1 liter): 16 shillings/1 mark (1/6 daler) Wild boar, large: 1 1/2 rdl Young sheep: 1 place Goose, 3 pieces: 1 rdl Cow, 1 pc: 2-5 rdl Horse, old: 5-6 rdl Bricks, 144 pieces: 1 rdl Brass kettle: 1/2 rdl Silver bowl, large: 30 rdl Plate, 2 shillings Coffin, painted and well-studded: 1 rdl Chest with carvings: 15 rdl Duvet cover and duvet cover, used: 3 rdl per piece Sheet, fine canvas with "knippel", used: 1 3/4 rdl Sheets, striped, used: 1st place Bible, large: 8 pages Hat, "high-polled", black: 1/2 rdl Shoes or boots, one pair: 1 1/2 ort Hose, one pair: 12 shillings Paddy flour, gray, a cubit: 12 shillings Skirt, purchased (used): 2-3 1/2 rdl Cemetery space: 2 rdl Wax candles that burned on the altar during a funeral: 4-6 rdl For a blood donor to open a vein for bloodletting: 8 shillings

Movies about the war The Gunhildrud Tragedy is a 2024 film that tells the story of the dramatic events that took place on April 24, 1945 in the area around Gunhildrudsetra on the west side of Eikeren. The film is produced by the Well-being and Coping Center in Øvre Eiker municipality, and Anders Fossesholm and Bjørn Rørdam Bergersen are responsible for the script and direction. Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes. Watch a short clip from the film here: The entire film can be downloaded from Eiker Archive/Eikerhistorie: The Gunhildrudtragedien 6.7 GB - download time approx. 10 minutes

Here are the QR codes Eiker history club Currently, the site is used to experiment with how to provide access to material in Sharepoint. Uc c - Interviewer

The Church and the Parish Priests Since the Reformation in 1537, the church in Denmark-Norway had been part of the state, with the King as head, and the priests were royal officials. The church service and the church acts – baptisms, weddings and funerals – were an important part of people’s daily lives. But during the 18th century, the church also gained an expanded social mission, with the introduction of confirmation in 1736 and a community school three years later. It also played an important role in the development of a poor system, and royal laws and decrees were announced on the church grounds after the services. Thus, the parish priest became a cornerstone of the absolute monarchy’s civil service. The main church and rectory at Eiker were geographically centrally located, close to the sound site of Haugsund. There were several homesteads here, and the "Egerske Company" had a practice area at the church. In 1741, the Nøstetangen glassworks was also built on the rectory grounds. Between 1741 and 1776 there were four parish priests at Eiker. Peder Anchersen had held the office since 1720, and previously he had been ship's chaplain for Peter Wessel Tordenskjold. He is described as He was parish priest until 1749, when he was succeeded by Christian Grave He was a poet and antique collector, very interested in history and was appointed Peder Jespersen NyropLorentz Schnitler The tombstones of Nyrop and Schnitler can still be seen in the cemetery at Haug Church, where they are among the oldest tombstones.

Haugsund 1765 In the tax census from 1765, 265 people were recorded as living in Hougssund. It only included people over the age of 12, so with children there were probably between 300 and 400 people living in the settlement. Most were married couples with or without children, and sometimes with elderly parents or servants, but we also find widows, widowers and a few unmarried people. Almost no one is listed by occupation - the exception was Sheriff Stephanus Bagge and Auctionsdirecteur Holtzrod - the two may have constituted the local small "middle class". In the church records, occupation is sometimes listed, and here we see that the population of Hokksund consisted of river workers, fishermen and sawmill workers, but also of innkeepers and craftsmen of various kinds. The settlement had grown up around the ferry station, where travelers along the King's Road might need food, drink and perhaps accommodation. Blacksmiths who could shoe a horse, carpenters and wheelwrights who could repair a carriage and shoemakers who could repair worn-out shoes also settled here. The river was also an important workplace - salmon fishing and timber rafting took place here, and rowers (rowers) transported goods of all kinds by boat. Others were day laborers in agriculture and forestry, and many probably also had their own plot of land where they could keep livestock and grow a little grain.

The Plank nobility In the 16th and 17th centuries, the lumber trade and sawmill operations were dominated by lords, county governors and other central officials - both nobles and commoners - who operated on behalf of the King, but who also had private interests in this profitable trade. By the 18th century, the Crown had withdrawn from this industry entirely, and the role of the civil servants had been taken over by merchants, who were largely bourgeois on Bragernes or Strømsø. This was the new upper class, known as the "merchant patriciate" or "plankeadel". In the mid-18th century, the sawmill industry was completely dominated by a handful of families, who had largely intermarried with each other – Cudrio, Smith, Stranger, Wiel, Arbo, Cappelen and Hofgaard. The latter two had particular connections to Eiker – Cappelen as owner of Fossesholmgodset and Hofgaard as owner of the sawmills at Hoen and in Mjøndalen. But the others also owned and leased sawmills both in Eiker and in other villages. Several of them were also involved in the timber trade, but there were also several smaller players involved. With a luxurious lifestyle and high luxury consumption, this upper class also led the way in cultural developments, from clothing fashions to ornamental objects made of silver and glass or exotic consumer goods such as tobacco, sugar, coffee, tea, wine and spirits. These became consumer goods that the wider population also tried to acquire to the best of their ability – and which led parish priest Hans Strøm to chastise the Eikværingen for their excessive penchant for luxury in his "Physical-Oeconomistic Description of Eger Præstegield".

Milestein School circa 1920 Class picture at Milestein School circa 1920. The teacher is Anders Martinius Knudsen, who started at the school as a substitute in 1920, shortly after he had retired. In 1923 he celebrated his 60th anniversary as a teacher, aged 76 - see: Buskerud and Vestfold, Tuesday 27 November 1923 . The picture was submitted by Kari Næss, daughter of Knut Arne Næss, born 1910, standing farthest to the right in the third row (second from the back).

Schools and poor relief The pietist King Christian VI introduced confirmation in Norway, and from 1739, community schools were established throughout the country with religious instruction and simple reading instruction. It was common to have community schools, where teaching took place around the farms and was limited to a few weeks a year. However, Vestfossen got a permanent community school as early as 1747, and at the Hassel ironworks in Skotselv a vocational school was established in 1757. A permanent school probably also came to Haugsund (Hokksund) during the 18th century, but the rest of Eiker still had a community school. The parish priests were responsible for the school system, and the main emphasis was placed on religious education. In public documents we see that it was still common for most people to write their name "with a pen" - they could not spell their own name. Poor people who were unable to earn a living, usually because they were old or disabled, were paid "legd". This was part of the tax system and meant that a group of farms were jointly responsible for providing food and shelter for a poor person. During the 18th century, several decrees on the poor were passed, in 1741, 1742, 1755, 1789 and 1790. Poor committees were introduced, led by the parish priest and the sheriff, who also included the local farmers and two men appointed by the county governor. But during this period, the population also grew, and when the harvest failed, there was a famine: "People eat everything they could get their hands on: Bark bread, roots, moss porridge, etc. and they drank water for it month after month. Pine bark, roots from the ground, aspen and silje leaves were collected, dried and ground into flour. Bread was baked from this, which was fried on flat iron roofs." A rich village like Eiker also attracted many poor beggars. In 1741, the king decided that this should be prohibited and that beggars should be put to forced labor at the "Tugthuset" in Christiania. It was not until the very end of the 18th century that priests came who were concerned with improving schools and the poor: Hans Strøm, who became parish priest in 1779, and Frederik Schmidt, who succeeded Strøm in 1797.