Nowadays, the farms in Oldumpet digitally time travel across the world. Curious visitors from South Africa, Australia or America, and from anywhere in the world, can obtain digital information about Brides in the Republic of Grains.
“We are also surprised that so many people are interested in farms in Oldambt,” says Harm Evert Valkens, president of the De Klerk-Mellema Foundation, which runs the website www.boerderijenboekoldambt.nl.
The book has been sold and is no longer available
The Foundation was the book's publisher Farms and their inhabitants . This book contains photographs of over 220 farms in Oldumpet, and stories about the history of Oldumpet, the farms and its inhabitants. The last edition dates back to 1999. The book is no longer available.
At the turn of the 20th century, the Foundation's Board of Directors made the decision to use the “digital highway.” “It is very expensive to republish a book. Our website gives us the opportunity to publish new information regularly. We now notice that there is a lot of interest. But we want to stay informed, and therefore look for new information.
The organization has something unique on its hands
More than two hundred letters were sent to the plantation owners of Oldumpet. The first reactions and additional information have already been received. “These are the titles on the site. We ask people if they would be willing to provide data that we can process on the site. According to Falkins, the foundation has something unique. “As far as we know, this is the only book that can also be viewed digitally.”
People who visit the site come from all over the world. “These are people who have lived in Oldumpet or had a farm. They are of course curious about the current state of the farms. We call it nostalgia and curiosity. The truth is that there is a lot of interest in farms in Oldumpet.”
Such a digital chronological journey through Oldambt and especially through farms also lends itself to a formal route by car or bike. Has ANWB been contacted yet? Walkins laughs. “We will focus first on this digital project.”
The foundation is also the manager of the “Gele Diekgat”, the dam and eye-catcher in the pass between Reiderwolderpolder and Carel Coenraad polder.
