One group of immigrants that was quite successful farming these wetlands were the Friesians who came to Borculo from the Province of Friesland, located on the north coast of the Netherlands. My maternal great grandfather and his 5 brothers all had farms in Blendon township at one time. Much of the farmland in the Province of Friesland was wet and often flooded each year. Many of these Friesian ancestors were forced to build dwelling mounds to survive the floods. These mounds were being built back as far as 500 B.C. until the years 1200 AD. Some these mounds could be described as a modern landfill rising up above the ground level. Most of the mounds were built of animal waste, human waste, and grass sod. Sometimes a neighbor’s mound grew next of his and became one. This was the beginning of the valley mound. In the history of the Province of Friesland is recorded that over 1200 manmade mounds were built over 1500 years. The largest mounds was 26 feet tall and covered 25 acres. In later years when these mounds were no longer needed for flood protection, they were often taken down and the rich soil sold for fertilizer.
When Christianity was brought to this area in the 700’s, the entire area was Christianized. Soon churches were built. The best central location was often on the top or in the center of the dwelling mound. A cemetery was often built along side ot it. Some of these churches are still standing today.
Bob Essenburg