INDUSTRIAL VILLAGES IN COUNTRYSIDE

When establishing industry in sparsely populated area in Finland or correspondingly e.g in Canada nearby the raw material or power source, the workers had to be get from other areas. To get the professional staff to stay, the accomodation and social services, in addition to the salary, had to be offered. The role of the factory owner was essential both as a constructor of the industry and as a farm developer for food supply services. His role as a patriarcal leader was emphasized, if he lived in the area with his family. Only in the cities the responsibility of the factory leader ended at the factory port.

Until the end of the 18th century both the factory buildings and the apartments did belong to the constructed environment of the factories. So was a fixed social living environment of the owners, labour management and the employees formed, where everyone knew the own place. This kind of social and physical environment was formed according to the old, swedish based, iron works, to be hearchial. So was the situation also in Tuusula, after establishing Jokela Brick Factory by the railway between Helsinki and Hämeenlinna. For example the size, exterior and location of the company house did correspond to the status of the people in the society. The nearer a you lived, the higher status you had in the organisation of the factory.

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF JOKELA BRICK FACTORY

Jokela Brick factory, and also the Jokela village, was colonised by the people from surrounding areas and also by the Päijät-Häme and Southern Ostrobothnia. The river flowing over the grounds acted both as a municipality border and as a county border. A part of the employee buildings, the fields and also bit by bit the clay grounds was located in Hausjärvi (later belonging to Hyvinkää).

The Jokela Brick Factory was established by railway engineers August Hildén (born in Lapua 1840, dead in Kangasala 1913) and Theodor Tallqvist (born in Eurajoki 1839, dead in Oulunkylä 1912), who bought the necessary area from the owner of the Krapi house in Tuusula in January 1874. Anyway, the real action was started the same summer by the factory lease holder, building engineer Karl Kuorikoski (born in Kaarlela 1843, dead in Valkeala 1884). He was related to the famous Kuorikoski church builder family. Anyway, under his leadership they didn't reach the brick production volumes - six million bricks in six years - agreed with the state, because construction of the first circular furnace was delayed. The reason could have been the lack of the capable masons, like in the Leppäkoski brick village in Janakkala.

PAUL CHMELEWSKI AS A FATHER FIGURE

From Jokela point of view the most remarkable owner was Paul Chmelewski (born in Sund 1848, dead in Espoo 1915), who did belong to a polish noble family. He owned the factory from 1877 to 1902. During that period it become one of the most modern brick factories in Finland, because during that time a uncrypted circular fireplace and brick machines were built. Chmelewski had build the building for his family, it is known also as a Jokela mansion, and nowadays as a Blue House. It is located beside the main building of the brick factory, beside the railway. In addition, a large farm was established beside the factory, including e.g. a dairy.

The effect of the commercial counsellor Paul Chmelewski was enormous for the whole development of Jokela. The living community of brick factory, farm and the employees was built according to the dominant form. The village grew freely outside the iron works , but the main part of the inhabitants got the most part of the income from the summer work in the brick factory of Chmelewski.

Leader Chemelewski acted as a patriarcal father for the whole area. His glory still lives in the jokes of Jokela. Chmelewski kept a shop and an inn in Jokela. He established and funded the first elementary school in Jokela. It was located in the brick factory area and he funded the priest to keep church services there. It was not only the question of the charity, but the factory leaders had also commitments for the employees, based on the law. The ponds of the present Jokela - like the ones at the Paul Chmelewski park - have developed from the clay removal of the Jokela Brick Factory. It may be mentioned, that it was just Paul Chmelewski who established the first park in Jokela. The local people called it as a "Park". It had no admittance for the the employees, because e.g. the grapes grown inside the conservatory were delicacy only of the aristocrats.

The second brick factory in Jokela in the order, Kolsa brick factory, was established 1899. It was established by another aristocrat, Anders Adlercreutz from Raala. He had to sell the Raala mansion to the Jokela brick factory because of the lack of money. It owned the factory 1904-1906.

Remarkable owners of the Jokela brick factory were also a municipal councellor from Helsinki, big builder Fredrik Wilhelm Grönqvist (born in Helsinki 1838, dead in Helsinki 1912) and danish-born ship owner and businessman Johannes Blenner (born in Copenhagen 1879, dead in Helsinki 1936). His wife Lilly Kajanus-Blenner (born in Helsinki 1885, dead in Helsinki 1963) was a harpist, who had a remarkable effect to the cultural life of the area at the 1920's. The swedish speaking manufacturers spent isolated life, separately from the other society. The railway was as a social border between the aristocrats and employees.

BRICK FACTORY AS A WORKING AND LIVING ENVIRONMENT

In the beginning, the brick production was handicraft: the bricks were put to wooden casts and the bulls rotated clay barrels, where the clay bulk was blended. In the beginning of 1900's was the biggest brick factory in Finland, which produced 8 million bricks a year at its best. Because the brick production was successful only when the land was not frozen, the main part of the brick workers had periodic work. Those could be divided in two groups: accidental periodic workers and regular periodic workers, who were mostly the wives and children of the regular workers and craftsmen who were settled down near the factory area, Jokela village. The main part of the families connected to the factory got their living from farming and cattle-breeding. The farmers had better position than the brick workers, because their contract of employment was continued when wanted. In addition, the company houses of the farm labourers were bigger than the stove rooms of the brick workers.

In Jokela, like in every small industial villages, services like social services, church services or maintenance of elementary schools were transferred from the factory to the community, bit by bit. The workers built cottages themselves and started to buy the food from co-operative shop established by themselves. The business cycles in construction leaded the most brick leaders to bankruptcy. Many workers emigrated form Jokela to North America and Petsamo. The number of inhabitants reduced according to automation. The brick production in Jokela brick factory was stopped 1960; Kolsa brick factory was in use until 1986.