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The Fiskars Mill

It is known that Fiskars already had a mill before the ironworks was founded in 1649. The current mill was built in 1898. It was drawn by the architect Waldemar Aspelin, whose father had worked as a manager in Fiskars in 1859-1882. Building materials were provided by the ironworks. Slag tiles were the side products of manufacturing iron in the puddling furnace at Fiskars rolling mill, and the red tiles came from the ironworks’ own tile factory.

The mill was used extensively by the farmers of the surrounding areas. Even the fishermen from the archipelago brought their grain to be ground at the mill using waterways. In addition to grinding grain, grits were made by a steam rolling mill. Steam engine, which was called a locomobiili, provided power. These engines were used as power source in agriculture until the 1950’s.

Up until 1940, when grain became rationed, part of the workers’ salary was paid in grain. The mill had two large chests, one for rye and wheat and one for oats. For each ground hectolitre, five litres of rye or wheat was put in the chest. Each hectolitre of oats entitled four litres of oats in the chest. Every last day of a month, the chests were emptied, and the miller got every tenth measure, i.e. ten per cent of the whole amount. This payment, which was made by a storehouse boy, was a thorough and dignified ceremony, carefully monitored by a steward and a miller. If the chests were full, the miller’s share was large and he could offer coffee and a drink for the mill’s supplier. The profitability of the mill could be seen by looking at how many pigs and other domestic animals a miller had on his farm. The contents of the chests were as valuable as money, and so they were locked with several big padlocks. The keys were held in the ironworks office.

The mill stopped functioning in 1958. After that, grain was ground for fodder by the hammermill. The rest of the grain was taken to a mill in Tammisaari or Mustio.

There are two measures in the museum’s collection, which were used for measuring flour for workers’ salary. A lock from the chest for rye is also in the collection.

Millers in the 19th century:
1813-14  Abraham Rajalin born 1769
1815-20  Gustaf Ljungqvist born 1782
1828-29  Israel Rönndahl born 1780 in Lohja
1830-36  Carl Bergström born 1801 in Kirkkonummi 
1837-43 Gustav Nyqvist born 1803 i Janakkala
1844-46  Henrik Gabrielsson born 1825 i Karjalohja 
1847-00  Gustaf Lindgren born 1866 i Siuntio

Millers in the 20th century:
1900-10  Karl Theodor Lindgren born 1866
1911-29  Karl August Dahlman born 1870 in Mustio
1932-      Uno Alfred Kallio born 1889 in Uusikirkko 
1940-      Väinö Mikael Kallio born 1889 in Uusikirkko
1940-58  Kauko Ilmari Kallio born 1917

Sources:

Unpublished sources:
Archive material, Fiskars Mill. Fiskars Corporation archive
Letter from Fiskars Agriculture department (1950). Fiskars museum
E-mail korrespondens with Margaretha Gripenberg (13.3.2013). Fiskars museum
Fiskars mantalslängder (1940-1950). Pohja localhistory archive
Intervju about Fiskars, LBA 13. Pohja localhistory archive
Exhibition texts about the Mill (1998). Fiskars museum

Internet:

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokomobiili