If you have not been following us along from Bodø to Kjerringøy, you might want to! The past posts are just below! Today, we are going into Anna Elisabeth Zahl’s house at the Trading Post. Remember, ten years after her husband died, she married her store clerk, twenty-five years younger than her and together they were a powerhouse! They made enough money from the fishing trade to lead a life of luxury! The big sailing ships, coming from the South, brought all kinds of foodstuffs, equipment and needed materials to sell at the trading post. That also included wonderful items for Anna, including French wallpaper for her rooms…….. and many more luxuries! After the ships unloaded their goods, they loaded up the fish and headed south again. So, the Zahl’s made the money from the sale of the fish, owned the only store, and also supplied all the locals with their needs! They also ran the only licensed boarding house, of sorts, and the only liquor store……..The boarding house was a rest haven for the fishermen, who fished in waters much farther north. Here, they could rest up and liquor up, and purchase what they needed, before heading out to sea again.  I have a feeling this could have been a rough and ready place, don’t you? So, how did Anna Elisabeth live?  Remember, we are up past the Arctic Circle and to say this area is remote, is an understatement! Anna had the BIG house! She also managed the servants and workers, who worked in the house and in the different areas of the  trading post. She also had a nice garden……………. Today, the Trading Post is a replica of how she might have lived…….

and a very fancy door ………………

She had lace curtains at her windows and a stunning view of the small harbor……………

She had a dining room any woman would be proud of…………Look at that French wallpaper, and fancy candlesticks and lanterns!

and a piano………..and carpets and rugs………

The red curtains led into a library!

There were multiple dining rooms, each fancier than the last………     She had fine china and outstanding colored walls with hand stenciling……..

She had this ornate cupboard and a water/coffee pot like no other!

When it came to the dish room, for some reason my photo was in black and white……

There were also dated serving dishes………..

The rooms for the servants were small, but bright!

This was one of the heat supplies! I liked all the color and the intricate trimmings in the rooms!

Mr Zahl’s room was barren compared to Anna’s!………

There was always room for more servants in Anna’s rooms!

She had a stylish trunk……

and lots of tall, skinny doors that were tucked in here and there and went to other parts of the house.

There definitely was an office, a working, busy place…………I like the way the cubby hole could be shut off with the door and locked. Work and no play in this room!

There was a flag chart of all the countries they did business with………and the type of ship…………

Look at her medicine cabinet!

and the best views of everything…………

These doors show the entrances to the servants part of the house and the boarding rooms………

Anna Elisabeth died in 1879, at age 78, when she fell down the stairs. Her husband, the former clerk, then married the head housekeeper. Erasmus Zahl died in 1900. At that time the business and its earning power had been on the decline since Anna Elisabeth’s death. She was the brains of the business and he was the brawn. Local merchant and politician, Gerhard Kristiansen, took over the business and ran it until his death in 1937. During that time it was purely for the locals. The big trading vessels no longer came. The Trading Post was discontinued in the 1950’s and the property was bought by the Nordland Museum in 1959. There had been no activity here for many years and the buildings were dilapidated. Today, the open-air museum is composed of fifteen buildings and restored to look like it was in days gone past.

Tomorrow, we will explore some of the other buildings on the property! There is a lot to see here!