Picture a long and narrow tar boat, reminiscent of a bean pod in shape, having made it through an arduous journey lasting several weeks. Behind it are many kilometres of churning rapids, the fear of tar pirates on lake Oulujärvi, and potentially scary thunderstorms. All that remains is to make it past the inspection by the tar controller at Tervahovi in Toppila.

Tervahovi was a hub for tar exports: pine tar manufactured by peasants was transported there by rowing down the river Oulujoki, and every year tens of thousands of barrels were shipped from there to the seven seas, via Copenhagen or Liverpool.

Throughout the sailing ship era, Finland was the world’s biggest tar producer. Although tar was also made elsewhere, it was considered over-burnt and inferior in quality to the Finnish stuff. It is no exaggeration to claim that Finnish tar, ranked the best in the world, kept all of western Europe’s sailing fleets afloat. It cannot be denied that, besides merchant and war ships, Finland’s black gold was also used on slave ships.

Work at Tervahovi was overseen by a steward, who must speak Swedish and English in addition to Finnish, withwith skills in Russian and French also being considered an advantage. Operations were very international. Besides the steward, Tervahovi employed stevedores, barrel rollers and quality controllers.

The tar boat’s long journey to the port could sometimes be a tribulation for reasons beyond the heavy cargo and the harsh rapids along the way: the tar controllers at the end were known to be meticulous, often dictatorial. Some peasants tried to cheat by adding sand, dung or sawdust to the tar; if the quality controller noticed, they might withhold pay, unless softened by a snifter of spirits offered by the tar-maker. If the tar controller did not have a liking for alcohol, they might give a token but mark it with a sign for poor-quality tar. Such tar could still sometimes be used in the pitch boilers on Pikisaari.

The tar-maker would then row over to town and hand the token to the merchant or burgher who was buying the tar, to receive payment. What they received was only a fraction of the profit made by the local or foreign merchant selling the tar.

Tervahovi burnt down on several occasions. During the Crimean War, in June 1854, the English set fire to the buildings and the 16,000 tar barrels they contained. Not a clever thing to do, as the tar was on its way to England. Tervahovi burnt down for the final time in 1901, marking the end of the golden age of tar in Oulu.

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Sources:

Hyttinen, Marika 2021: Ajan multaamat muistot: Historiallisen arkeologian tutkimus Oulun

Pikisaaren pikiruukista, ruukkiyhteisöstä ja maailmankuvasta 1640-luvulta 1890-luvulle. Historical Association of Northern Finland. (PhD thesis)

Kaila, E. E. 1931: Pohjanmaa ja meri. (PhD thesis)

Kaukiainen, Yrjö 2000: Laiva Toivo, Oulu. SKS Kirjat.

Hautala, Kustaa 1956: Suomen tervakauppa 1856–1913 sen viimeinen kukoistus ja häviö sekä niihin vaikuttaneet syyt. (PhD thesis)

Hautala, Kustaa 1975: Oulun kaupungin historiaa III, 1809–1856. City of Oulu.

“Tervan perintö” documentary. Oamk student assignment, 5/5/2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kygQBjtrOw0

"The Journey of Tar" -documentary. Northern Ostrobothnia Museum, Oulu Museum and Science Centre. 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyN0xl4ueE4

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Photo: Inha, I. K., 1898. Finnish Heritage Agency

Augmented reality: Tervahovi