Haartsestraat 14-18

The Almshouse (‘Gasthuis’) was an institution run by the Reformed diaconate (charitable board) located on what was then Gasthuisstraat, now known as Haartsestraat, in Aalten.

On the 1832 land registry map (cadastre) shown on the right, the exact location is visible, situated approximately where Haartsestraat 14 to 18 stands today.

The photograph above shows Gasthuisstraat around 1900. On the right, past the Mayor’s residence—which later became the post office—a section of the Almshouse is just visible. In the far background, the Luutenshuus can also be discerned.

The Almshouse contained ten rooms on the street side and ten on the garden side, each with a floor area of 17 to 22 m². Each room was equipped with two box-beds (bedsteden). Occupants shared a privaat (toilet) between several rooms. In the garden, many residents also kept a ‘sikkestal’ (a small shed for a goat).

The residents were not only among the poorest members of the population but were also generally the least educated. Consequently, the Almshouse and its surroundings were frequently the scene of shouting matches and petty quarrels. The residents were often the targets of harassment by the local youth of Aalten.

One of the residents would deliver wheelbarrows of fine white sand door-to-door for a penny, which people used to strew across their stone floors. Once he had earned a few pence, he would quickly spend it on a borrel (a small glass of gin) before starting to ‘save up’ for the next one.

In 1904, the Almshouse was demolished. The elderly residents still living there at the time moved to the retirement home on Hogestraat.

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Owners

This list is incomplete.

Year	Plot	Owner	Description
1832	I-1116 to I-1135	the Reformed Poor of Aalten	20x 17–36 m² house & yard (1905: sale & demolition)
1906	I-5192 I-5191 I-5190	Fredrik Driessen e.c., postman Lourens Leuven e.c., painter Gerrit Jan Semmelink, merchant/shopkeeper	401 m² garden 416 m² garden 361 m² garden
1923 1911 1918	I-5192 I-5191 I-5190	Wolter Vaags e.c., baker Gerrit Johan Houwers, furniture maker Hendrik Jan Wentink, shopkeeper	401 m² house & yard (Haartsestr. 14) 402 m² house & yard (Haartsestr. 16) 361 m² garden (naast Haartsestr. 20)

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House Numbering

In the population register, every room or household is listed on a separate family card. The overview below provides links to the first family card in the population register for each period that corresponds to the almshouse on Haartsestraat. From there, one can browse further to find all residents for that specific timeframe.

An extensive table listing all residents is planned for the future to assist genealogists in identifying former occupants. Please note: records may contain errors.

1823	1838	1850	1860	1870	1880	1890	1900
235	263	263	263	290	333	329	395

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Catholic Almshouse

Aalten also used to have a Catholic almshouse. The Armenpad (Poor’s Path) between Hogestraat and Stationsstraat, one of Aalten’s typical Gängeskes (alleys), still serves as a reminder of this.