Gammalsjö kvarn

Gammalsjö mill

Today, the small Kvarntorpån river flows quietly between birch and spruce. Once the river flowed around the large mill wheel. Power that was transferred to the millstones that in their grinding roundabout crushed grain into flour between them.

A borderline case

Axel Ehrengranat bought Gammalsjö Säteri just next door in 1850. Here in Kvarntorpaån on the border between Kalv and Håcksvik parishes, he decided to rebuild a former mill, despite the poor head of water. He built it on his own land as there had previously been problems with the damming rights.

Here the flour was subject to customs duties

From its inception in 1860, Gammalsjö Mill was a customs mill. From October to May, when agriculture allowed and the river flow was sufficient, the millstones crushed the farmers' grain into flour. In return, the miller received a share of the milled grain, a duty. From each sack of flour milled, one capful of flour was levied, which was 4.58 liters. The customs duty was banned in 1951, but the mill was in operation until 1942. Then the ice took it in an iron grip, the mill wheel broke down and the mill was mothballed (closed down).

A building of great dimensions

The mill is made of untreated timber. The supporting beams are so rough, the timber for them had to be taken from the old-growth forests at Ekedals Säteri, a mile away. Gammalsjö manor carried out an extensive renovation of the mill in the early 1990s, with support from the county museum, municipality and county administrative board. It was then restored to the condition the mill had when it was still in use. Two local carpenters made a replica of the large water wheel with a diameter of just over seven meters.

Footnote: The text is taken from Ekomusem nedre Ätradalen of which Gammalsjö Kvarn is a part.