Route through Buesichem

1.The Horse Market
2.The Extinguisher
3.
The Heeren Lodge
4.
The Beijerd
5.
Elskeshof
6.
TB line
Try to imagine that exactly 100 years ago (the Smalriemseweg was a dirt road with farms) a steam tram ran between Tiel, Buren and Culemborg. Perhaps the TBC line was the shortest operating steam line. In 1918 it was discontinued due to an operating deficit, to 11 years and 3 months service. The steam tram itself is reportedly still in Hellevoetssluis and still runs in circles in the summer.
The route was as follows: starting from the Stationsplein in Culemborg, the line went via the Dreven, Hondsteeg, Weidsteeg and Weithusen along the Delsteeg via the Smalriemseweg to the market in Beusichem and via the Beneden Molenweg to the square in Zoelmond.
The stops in Beusichem were: De Pannenbuurt,'t Veer, Hotel De Zwaan and in Zoelmond: De Molen, De Doornenboom, Café The Children Van Dijk, the Church. In Beusichem there was a loading and unloading platform on the ground of Beneden Molenweg 2 and 4. A waiting room for tram passengers was located in the De Doornboom inn.
If you go even further back in time, the construction of dirt roads for this region was already an important improvement in accessibility due to the postal carriage service diligence.
* Smalriemseweg and TBC line
Named after the house Smalriem, which used to be (at least in 1790) at the intersection Smalriemseweg-Weidsteeg (now municipality of Culemborg). At that time the road was still called Oude Asscheweg (late 18th century Oude Essenweg or Zandpad). The part of the Smalriemseweg that is now in the municipality of Culemborg is now called Oudaseweg. Narrow means small, small, and a belt was a narrow strip of peat soil.
7.
Dijkhuis
Floods have long been a real threat to Beusichem, the last of which was a major threat in 1995. The one from 1809 is perhaps the best known, in which 18 people were killed and to which the memorial stone in the church facade on the Markt refers. If you look closely, you can still see the history in the floodplain. For example, on the dike is the
Dijkhuis (Lekdijk West 1) with a warehouse for wheelbarrows, shovels, pickaxes, planks, bags and storm lanterns. Until 1987, the dike chair, the board of directors over the dike, sat here until 1987, with the dike warden as chairman. Usually a family lived there who had to keep the house in good condition and supervise the warehouse in the house. If the board wanted to meet, the family had to prepare the meeting room.
Close to the dike house, sand is always stored for this purpose. There was also usually a large pile of fagots. In times of danger men of the dike guard walked over the dike to see if sandbags had to be placed somewhere. The dike was maintained by all owners of the land/houses on the dike. If the dike had to be guarded, all male inhabitants could be summoned. Everyone had to obey the'bell chime\\\', when the bells rang one had to go up to the dike to keep watch or to carry out reinforcement or repair work.
8.
Flood 1995
Floods 1995. More info to follow. Photos available, interview with Jaap Wildschut, Veerweg 4, who refused to evacuate, was arrested by the police and taken away and yet returned? The dike was widened and reinforced in 2016/2017, which means that flooding can hardly be called a risk for the villagers. Photos available. House Lekdijk Oost 1 had to be demolished. I
9.
floodplain
In the 18th century it became customary to have professionals'look\\\' and guard the dike.
Thijs Verbrugh's inn used to be in the Uiterwaard, on the Lekdijk West, at the intersection with the Veerweg. Public auctions were held here. In 1919 the farm De Oven was sold (located further east in the Uiterwaard). This was accompanied by a lot of drink and food (the notary had to make available 1% of the 10% of the sales amount that he received in banner money, i.e. food and drink. At a large sale, such as the farm De Oven, this is quite a large amount).
10.
The Ferry House
This is a striking place. Here on the site of the Beusichemse spring drowned in the year 1304 Jan van Renesse, Arend van Benschop, Jan van der Lede and a few other nobles. They were guilty (in 1296) of the murder of Floris V, Count of Holland. They had fled from Utrecht and had been chased into a chimney (boat) by their enemies, which overturned. Jan van Renesse is buried in the church of Beusichem. His horse was - according to the stories - often spotted in the water by ferry skippers later in bad weather, looking for his master.
Before 1600 there were no ferries, at least no yaw ferries that work on current. You were transferred across the river by rowing boat, reeppont (small flat vehicle that was pulled with a thick rope) or sailing ferry. A yurt ferry makes use of the current: a heavy anchor is fixed in the middle of the river. This anchor is connected to several closed rowing boats with steel cables. The last boat is connected to the ferry with three cables, in the middle, at the front and at the back of the ferry. With a winch, the front and rear cables can be shortened or extended, making use of the current'yaw\\\' to sail across the river with a swinging movement. By the way, did you know that until 1795 the ferry belonged to the county of Buren? From the marriage of Anna van Buren to Willem van Oranje it was owned by the Nassau\\\'s. In 1814 it became state property. In 1875 the ferry was transferred (sold) to the municipality of Beusichem.
Over the years, the ferry was leased to many different people, including exclusive fishing rights on the Lek between Culemborg and Ravenswaaij. Nevertheless, the government often had to step in because of the high maintenance costs of the ferry ramps in particular. In 1875, transferring a person cost 0.03 f, a horse 0.10, a ox, donkey or mule 0.05, a sheep, goat, goat or pig 0.025. To put it in perspective: a worker then earned about 7.50 a week.
Memorable was February 1956, when the Lek was completely frozen over. Branches indicated a path over which the Lek could reliably be crossed, also with cars.
After the war, the ferry was no longer leased, but became a municipal service. On the site of the ferry shed, a service house was built for the harbor master and a few houses for his assistants. In 1951 the old Veerhuis was sold to the Nederlandse Jeugdherbergcentrale, a youth hostel was established in it. However, this was not a success and after a few years the youth hostel was closed and a café-restaurant was built in its place.
11.
the ferry
12.
De Kil, ovens in the floodplain
13.
gauge
Long ago (in 1770 it is already mentioned) there was another dike house, on the other side of the road, behind the house (former bakery Kievit). The gauge on the other side of the dike belonged to the dike house. It is a special gauge, a national monument. During the dyke reinforcement 2016/2017, in which the dyke became a lot wider, the gauge as a whole was moved a bit diagonally opposite the parking lot of the Veerhuis, along the Veerweg
14.
Old standard orchard
15.
The many shops in the Oranjestraat
16.
Stigtenbleij
The building that stands here now dates from 1865, but centuries before that, there was a Stichtenbley on the corner of the back street and Oranjestraat, now a large double house. There is already a mention from 1689. Also called Sticht ten Bley. There are two possible explanations for the name. A blye was a swampy patch of mud. To edify means to make firm. Stichtenbleije would therefore be a swampy piece of land that was founded, reinforced, by raising it. Another explanation is that a foundation meant a building, monastery or region. Stichtenblye: a sticht, building, near a swampy piece of land. In 1865 the piece of land (arable land) that was still undeveloped at the time, was sold to Hendrik Knobbout. In the same year he had the current Stichtenbley built, and two years later a large barn, the'bakhuis\\\'. In 1904 2 more barns were built behind. In 1917 there is a division of the estate, all the possessions of the Knobbouts were divided. The Knobbout that Stichtenbley got sold it in 1917 to Matthijs Heuff from Erichem. He died in 1950, son-in-law Joh. van Zanten took over the farm and farmed there until 1978. In 1809 there was a major flood in Beusichem, 18 people drowned and 37 houses were destroyed. In those days a Deys family lived at Stichtenbley (the old location still). Mr Deijs was alderman, nowadays we would say alderman. On the evening of the flood disaster, he writes a letter to the Bailiff of Buren, in which he describes the disaster and asks for help.
17.
Beatrixboom
18.
Old Rectory
19.
Old town hall (between number 6 and 10
20.
Wassenberg, number 6 house principal of the school
21.
Church and organ
22.
gentlemen's lodge
23.
The extinguisher
24.
The (Horse) Market