Lippu's Croft
Lippu's Croft, or Valkeala Bostad 7 (VB 7), is one of the oldest buildings in the Verla area. The origin of the croft cannot be confirmed with certainty. According to tradition, the croft may have been a Russian border guard's cottage from the 18th century: the border between Russia and Sweden-Finland ran along the Kymi River water system at this point of the Verlankoski rapids between 1743 and 1812. On the other hand, the cottage may very well be one of the military crofts of Valkeala's ruotujakoinen (allotment system) military. It appears that the croft was moved to Verla in the early 1870s.
The building is a log-structured, one-room dwelling. The main room (tupa) is approximately 12m2. A wood shed was later added to the end of the building, and the log walls were clad with boards. Originally, the building had an earth bank foundation, in the empty space of which it is known that chickens were kept during the winter and food was stored during the summer. Electric lighting was installed in these cottages in 1923.
The building gets its name from its first resident in Verla, factory worker Antti Anders Lippu (1838-1911). Antti and his wife Magdaleena lived in the cottage and raised six daughters there. Antti and Magdaleena lived in the cottage until the end of their lives. In 1913, the factory purchased the cottage to be used as employee housing. After the Lippus, other residents included Herman Kinnari, the factory's oldest employee, who was 86 when he finished his work as a night watchman in the 1930s. The croft served as housing for factory workers until the mid-1950s. Among the last residents was the Ukkonen family. The father, Salomon, was a stableman at the factory and moved to a night watchman position as he aged.
Lippu's Croft is open to visitors during the summer season, when the exhibition showcasing workers' housing is accessible.