Finds of iron slag indicate that the development of the Sessinghausen Hamm began with a water-powered ironworks in the 16th century. In 1638, there was an Osemund hammer mill here with two hammers producing wire and billet osemund, which was either processed into wire elsewhere or into agricultural or craft tools. Almost 200 years later - as in the region as a whole - the Osemund process was replaced by the more modern puddling process, as puddling produced around ten times the amount of iron.
From 1847 to 1877, around 20 people worked here. As in the Kierspe small iron industry as a whole, at the end of the 19th century, the production program at the Sessinghauser Hamm was switched from the manufacture of heavy forged parts to increasingly lighter metal objects: in 1880, a brass wire drawing shop was set up, which produced electrical consumer goods from 1895. In 1938, the August Hessmert metal goods factory from Brügge in Westfalen then moved to Kierspe-Bollwerk in the former Hamm to produce accessories for bicycles, motorcycles and automobiles with a maximum of 100 employees. In the 1970s, the company was taken over by Walter Brune, who produced rear lights, spotlights, pump holders, rear-view mirrors, sports handlebars, trouser clips and clasps as well as bicycle figures. In 1998, the company finally closed and the 380-year history of the site on the Volme came to an end.
Guided tours and visits: by appointment
Future plans
Located between the Schleiper Hamm Museum and the former Wasserschloß Haus Rhade, the Hamm is a stop on the planned Volme cycle path. In future, an exhibition in the Sessinghauser Hamm will commemorate its history. The aim is to cooperate closely with existing institutions in order to firmly position this region of industrial history within the WasserEisenLand network in Südwestfalen. Heesfelder Mühle e.V. also wants to make its own contribution to the energy transition with the photovoltaic system installed in 2011 and the construction of a new water wheel. The waterwheel is also a link back to the history of the village, as the Volme river was what made pre-industrial development possible in the first place.
Photos: Reiner Potyka - the photo from 1993 shows the north wing of the Hamm, which is currently only partially preserved.
Text source © Heesfelder Mühle
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