Fransiscus Hermensz owns the older polder mill that gave Molendam its name. In the previous century when it was decided to drain the swampy ground to win more farmland, Franciscus’ great-grandfather built the mill based on the octagonal North Holland model, with a wooden substructure. He built a small wooden house close to the mill for himself and his family. Inside the mill the Archimedean screw pumped the water day and night out of the polder and over the one and a half metre high dike into the water way. The noise was incredible. Bachelor, Fransiscus, was bored with this work. Of course getting the head to turn into the wind to gain maximum strength from the sails, with the help of the tail pole and the wheel is exciting but after that the work is not very inspiring. Moreover, the polder is getting so dry now that even cows can graze there without sinking into the ground.

This is why he has spent the last few years converting the mill into a corn mill. He ordered a pair of millstones from Schagen and has adapted the mechanism so that the grinding mechanism is driven by the wind’s force as well as the water screw. And what makes it even better is that there are now cornfields in the drained polder for a far as the eye can see and he is able to take in the harvest without any transport costs. He loads the wheat, rye and corn flour in jute sacks onto a barge that docks right in front of the mill and transports the sacks to the city where weighhouse master Jacobus van Cromvoirt weighs them. He then sells his first produce to baker Aad Brakenhoff before sending the weighed and authenticated consignment further to the big cities in north and south Holland. On festival days in Molendam he decorates the sails to reflect the festival. On Queen’s day he ties a string of flags to the sail tops and when the fair comes to Molendam he opts for Chinese lanterns. Then he lets the sails turn at night too for a festive effect. Now that Christmas is coming, the waterway is frozen over and the fields are barren, he decorates the sails with pine branches and gold-painted pinecones. Yesterday he received a compliment for this from Froukje van Tilborgh from the grocers when she skated past with her two sons. She said how beautiful the mill looked. Fransiscus blushed with pleasure.