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