Bergelin’s house

Plot number 48 in the first block of Kristinestad originally extended to Lillgränd, now known as Kattpiskargränd. The street side of this house was built in 1820 and is the oldest house on plot 48 and was perhaps built by the sailor Erik Lindbom and his wife Maria. The house has a 60 cm high stone base that is now completely below the street level. The house was owned by Johanna Bergelin’s family from 1871 to 1954, for 83 years.

The plot has effectively been divided into two parts since about 1840, and is now divided into properties 122-13 and 122-12, Västra Långgatan 26 A and B.

Building history

According to the insurance policy dated 1st of December 1861, the plot (the southern half of plot 48) was owned by the skipper’s widow Catarina Lovisa Röösgren.

The buildings are numbered according to the plan drawing furhter below:

1. The street facing part is according to this insurance policy built of pine and spruce timber in 1820, the outer walls are not board lined but painted with dark red water colour. The size of the house is 13 x 8 m on a 60 cm high stone base and under a boarded roof, comprising a hall, two bedrooms and a tambour with a total of three tiled stoves. All the rooms had water-coloured wallpaper.
2. Furthermore, according to this insurance certificate, the eastern wing was built as a separate part of spruce timber in 1853 and was neither boarded nor painted and consisted of five rooms: 2 vestibules, 1 bedroom, 1 kitchen and a so-called “fruit room”, with a total of 1 tiled stove and a kitchen stove with baking oven. The size of the house is 10×6 m under a boarded roof and with 3 windows of 1.05 x 90cm + 1 larger attic window, these windows in the courtyard wing can be compared with the 6 windows of the street building, which were 1.50 x 1.20 m in size.
3. In addition to a lush garden and a well in the centre of the plot boundary to the north, there was an outbuilding in the northeast corner built partly of timber and partly of cross-laminated timber in 1850 and neither boarded nor painted: comprising a shack with a vestibule, feed barn and manure shed – the size was 12 x 5 m and with an average height of 4.5 m, which corresponds to the size of the current building.
4. In 1876, master mason Granberg built a household shed west of the northern end of the outbuilding, which no longer exists.

Text: Förslag till förbättring av stadsbilden: Västra Långgatan mellan Hållfastskagatan och Parkgatan, Wenman Niklas, Talotuuma, 1995

Owners and residents

Owner of whole plot nr 48 in the plan of year1825 (or plot 16 in 1750’s plan, or farm 22 in the plan 1772-1825).

1820-1825
The sailor Erik Lindbom with his wife Maria and the county clerk’s widow Sanberg lived on plot 22 according to the town plan of 1772 (there is no map showing the 1772 plan as far as we know). According to the fire insurance letter the house by the street existed on the southern half of the plot. Perhaps there was some other residential building as well.

1830-1835
The plot is given number 48 in the plan from 1825 and is still the same size. According to the census, the sailor Erik Lindbom and his wife Maria and the county clerk’s widow Caisa Sandberg lived on the plot.

Owners of the southern half of plot nr 48

1840-1845
In 1840, the plot is divided into two halves, with sailor Johan Hållfast and his wife Sofia occupying the second (southern) half, according to the land register. The Hållfast couple are thus the first people we know who lived in this particular house.

1850
Johan is dead and the seaman’s widow Sofia is still living in the house, as well as carpenter Johan Hägglund (register).

1855
Skipper Josef Röösgren, Mrs Lovisa (register).

Owner according to fire insurance certificate

1861
Skipper’s widow Catarina Lovisa Röösgren.

1866 and 67
Skipper’s widow Sophie Palm

1871, -81 and -91
Master mason Johan Petter Granberg

1901 and -16
former Customs Guard Master Karl Bergelin married to Johanna Granberg (1861-1935, Johan and Klara’s daughter). Karl owned the house 1901-1935

Owners according to the current owner

1916-54
Valdemar Henner with wife Elise (née Bergelin, Karl and Johanna’s daughter). Valdemar and Elise married (first) in 1947.

1984
Helmer and Suoma Fagerström

1984-2000
Anita Tiusanen