Graafschapbode, 30 April 1934
At the sale held on Thursday of property belonging to the heirs of Slicher van Bath, the farm known as ‘Het Smees’ was among the properties purchased, in this case by Mr H.B. Kemink of IJzerlo. The farm, with its arable and pasture land, also included the ‘Smeeslaantje’, later renamed the ‘Nannielaantje’, which is crossed roughly halfway along by the Aaltense Beek.
Anyone wanting to take a pleasant walk that is not too long almost naturally chooses a route through the Nannielaantje. From the little bridge or the bench there is a magnificent view across the stream and meadows towards the village. One can therefore be almost certain of always finding walkers here.
In order to preserve this lane and its trees, the board of Aalten’s Belang met Mr Kemink on Saturday morning. The result was that Aalten’s Belang acquired the entire lane with its trees, together with a strip of meadow on both sides of the burial mound.
Mr Kemink himself proved to be a great lover of nature, so he gave every possible cooperation. He also took over most of the remaining trees himself, and ‘Het Smees’ could certainly not have found a better buyer. The southernmost section of the Nannielaantje, near Veldhuis’s garage, turned out still to belong to Mr Lindenhovius, who readily agreed to donate this piece to Aalten’s Belang.
A heartfelt word of thanks for this cooperation is certainly appropriate. The Nannielaantje, shown in the accompanying photograph, will therefore be preserved for Aalten.
Nannie van Hopbergen
The Nannielaantje is named after Johanna Geertruida (‘Nannie’) van Hopbergen (1849–1924), daughter of the local landowner Jacobus Wilhelmus van Hopbergen (1817–1913). Nannie was married to the prominent Aalten resident Adriaan Pieter Slicher van Bath (1838–1933). The Slicher family owned the ‘Smees’ estate until 1934.