The history of a town FOTEFAR MOT NORD Vefsn Museum "... and behind is Vefsen, the crooked fiord, where many grassy slopes lead down to lovely bays and inlets" (Petter Dass: Nordlands Trompet) It began with some boathouses. The farmers in the inland A new church was consecrated in i735. Attending church valleys were also fishermen and needed buildings where took a long time then, often requiring overrright accom- they could keep their boats and gear. Not far away is modation, so beds were put into the boathouses. Dolstad, where a church has stood since the Middle Ages. As time went by, shacks were also built and two tradesmen Front cover: Jacobsenbrygga in Sjpgata, now Vefsn Museum. Karl set up business, one at each end of the row of boathouses. Jacobsens Enke was a shipping ffice situated here. The firm sutvives as Craftsmen built their workshops and houses, and still more J. Jacobsen & Sønn, with premises on the railway quay. tradesmen came, even an executioner. A street was Petter Dass ( 1647-1707) served as the family teacher for the minister oJ' eventually made behind the boathouses and the shacks. On Vefsn Church. His intimate knowledge of the area is reflected in his 1 January 1875, Mosjgen achieved the status of a town. poem " Nordlands Trompet". Mosjpen sprang up on one oJ the " grassy The busy centre in the new town was Sjøgata. slopes", where the River Vefsna enters the fjord. The tycoon and the log driver SjBgata had - and still has - room for everyone. Like today, around 1860, you could find an average ofthe popu- lation in Sjøgata. The rich merchant, the hardworking craftsman, the go-ahead telegram boy and the toiling log driver had one thing in common - they lived in Sjøgata. At the north end of Sjøgata, Peter Bech opened a mer- chant's business and guest house in 1782. Andreas Bech Jiirgensen, who inherited it in 1866, expanded it into a mini-empire involving forests, sawmills, silver mines, a shipping company and fish processing in Lofoten. He also ran a merchant's business in Sandnesjøen, was an active politician and the mayor for several periods. Injust a few years, he had built several buildings that are still standing in Sjøgata. No. 1 was the main one, followed by no. 2, three waterfront warehouses (Nybryggen, Landgangsbryggen and Storbryggen), a large boathouse, servant's accommodation and a storehouse. These bear witness to the initiative shown by Andreas Jtirgensen. And close by, Nils Jensen, a postman and log driver, built his modest house in 1868. The t,vcoon oJ Sj;lgata, Andreas Bech Jiirgensen, was a versatile gentleman, but he w*as forced to discctntinue his bu.sinesses in 1892. He still holds an important position in the history rf Mosjpen. The log driver's house is still standing, too, but Nils Jensen is only one among many other names. Engelskbru ket on Halsøya= The North of Europe Land & Mining Co. Ltd. Modern Norway - and Vefsn - are direct results of the in England, and the desire for free trade had removed the industrial revolution in England. Industrialism transformed the customs duty that had protected Canadian timber. Hence, there whole of society, the settlement pattern, the political life, ideas was a lot of profit to be made for the Englishmen in the dense and beliefs. The modernisation of society implied a cultural forests of Vefsn, Grane and Hattfjelldal. revolution. The old society was buried and a completely new - They also had a technological advantage. English engineering reality was created. had developed highly efficient sawmill machinery and steam The meeting with England and the new era reached Vefsn engines. These made the old waterpowered saws in Norway early and was very direct.In 1865, five Englishmen, Frost, hopelessly old-fashioned. The steam saws also had the Prince, Comyn, Croskey and Collis, bought "Vefsen's advantage that they could be sited at the mouths of big rivers, Clearings" from Fredrik Holst and began a major forestry thus easing the delivery of timber and the shipping of sawn and sawmill operation in the district. There was a huge timber. This is why Engelskbruket was placed on the island demand for timber to build houses in the new industrial towns of Halsøy outside Mosjøen. ffi jr-*i,l ' . ] -,--':',l -1 ;J ] flfu l England had an outstanding position of power in the mid-19th century and English businessmen looked upon themselves as representatives of a more advanced civilisation when they started trading and industrial enterprises in every corner of the world. Steam power and industrial development were supposed to spread civilisation and advance to peoples and nations at a lower stage of evolution - such as those in northern Norway and other 'primitive people' on the fringes of Europe. Many in Norway feared the steam saws and English capitalists. Instead of advance and civilisation, unemployment, destruction of nature and loss of the country's riches were envisaged. The old sawmill privileges were therefore not abolishedbefore 1860. Timber was one of the country's leading exports and the authorities believed that the free initiative would be a blessing to this industry, too. To ensure the 'enhancement of the national wealth' , the old system of privileges was dismantled, and the way was paved for greater freedom in business. Liberalism became the guide for the civil servants' plans for developing the country. Engelskbruket had its place here. Engelskbruket meant that the little community that was already developing on the shore at the mouth of the Vefsna became the first town in Helgeland. The sawmill needed many workers. Farmer's sons and cotters set up as shopkeepers and craftsmen. People from far and near settled in Mosjøen, attracted by the new opportunities. The place was becoming part of the modern world. A busy London scene a century ago. Englandwas a global pov)er cen- tre of vital importance for modern Norway and the growth of Mosjpen as a town- A iob with a future Ole Mo (1845-1906) had served his apprenticeship as a fields. He was a leading Liberal on the local council, an watchmaker in Trondheim. He was one of many craftsmen adherent of New Norwegian and a teetotaller. He became who moved nofih at the time Engelskbruket existed to make the first chairman of Mosjøen craftsmen's guild in 1898. In Mosjøen the centre for craftsmanship in Helgeland. More 1905, he was on the committee to elect the form of than25 crafts were present in Mosjøen. government for the newly independent country - he agitated for a republic. Watchmaking was a job with a future then. Time had a new rhythm and was regulated by the clock, not by the seasons Ole Mo mostly had his workshop and home in Peter Bech's and traditions. Pocket watches became common in the gate, but he travelled to America several times to earn money. 1850's, and the first trained watchmakers came to MosjØen After Engelskbruket closed down, many craftsmen emigrated in the 1860's. The very first were Jens A. Laksfors and Peder or 'commuted' across the Atlantic. In America, Ole Mo lived Klæboe. With the herring fishery and Engelskbruket at their in Sioux City in Iowa - in the heart of Norwegian America. peak, people could afford to decorate themselves with a Both his sons stayed there and followed their father's watch chain. Ole Mo made his mark on the town in several profession. Ole Mo returned to Mosjøen for good in 1905. Tailors and seamstresses At the turn of the century, Mosjøen had five tailor's shops. The tailors often had years of apprenticeship behind them in In addition to around ten tailors. there were about 40 seam- towns further south in Norway - some had even been abroad. stresses, mostly self-employed. Tailoring, like shoemaking, For instance, master tailor Ivar Hansen from Hemnesberget, baking and carpentry, was an important business in Mosjgen. who came to Mosjgen in 1921, had lived in London for Youngsters, especially girls, came from far and near to learn several years, and worked as a tailor in Copenhagen, Paris and to sew. After a winter's apprenticeship, many returned home Savoy. to practice their skills. Master tailor Johan Henrichsen ( 1865- 1913) was born at Torget in Brønnøy and served his apprenticeship in Brønnøy- sund and Trondheim. He came to Mosjøen in 1896. The town had recovered from the depression following the collapse of Engelskbruket. In 1908, he bought 2l Sjøgata, where he had "an exceptionally fine shop and fabric store". He employed several journeymen and sewing maids in his workshop. Johan Henrichsen must have been unusually able because in 1908 he won a state scholarship to attend a course at the Academy of Cutters in Copenhagen. He also studied tailoring in Stockholm. When he died in 1913, his wife Emilie took over the business. It gradually became modernised, more goods were added * shirts, ties and galoshes, and readymade suits and coats. When their son, Hilmar, took over after the 2nd World War, the "tailor's business" had become a "mens' outfitters". Their daughter, Klara (Baadst@), opened her own ladies' wear shop in 1932. Other Mosjøen craftsmen also opened shops. A "shoe shop" was opened by a shoemaker named Rødseth, a paint shop by a master painter named Gudmundsen and a tinsmith named Brandth began selling ironware and kitchen utensils. Emilie Henrichsen (1869- 1965) had many talents. Besicles sewing, she upholstered.furniture, washed gloves and cleaned Panama hats, which v,ere in.fashion. When her husband died, she v,cts able to clemonstrate her busine,ys talents, too. She erpanded the business, employing journel,men and sen*ing maids, who ofien lived in.