Alongside the Kerkeind, the area known as ‘ het Pleintje ’ was also significant in the past.
We naturally know het Pleintje as a pub, but there was much more to it.
Just before 1900, thanks to the efforts of Father van den Elzen, small dairy factories sprang up in many villages. Hapert
also had one such small, manually operated butter factory, here on het Pleintje. It
didn’t last long, however; it was soon moved to the Ganzestart in 1903, and by 1916 the milk was being sent to ’t Stoom in Hoogeloon, Bladel or Eersel.
However, the primary school was also once located here. A school was built
on the site of the current block of flats in 1865; the building was extended at the rear.
In 1922, the girls moved to the new Mariaschool, and in 1936 the boys’ school opened in Kerkstraat. A few
years later, the former school was converted into a parish hall.
Mr Sterke bought the schoolhouse.
There w…
Alongside the Kerkeind, the area known as ‘ het Pleintje ’ was also significant in the past.
We naturally know het Pleintje as a pub, but there was much more to it.
Just before 1900, thanks to the efforts of Father van den Elzen, small dairy factories sprang up in many villages. Hapert
also had one such small, manually operated butter factory, here on het Pleintje. It
didn’t last long, however; it was soon relocated to the Ganzestart in 1903, and by 1916 the milk was being sent to ’t Stoom in Hoogeloon, Bladel or Eersel.
However, the primary school was also once located here. A school was built
on the site of the current block of flats in 1865, and the building was extended at the rear.
In 1922, the girls moved to the new Mariaschool, and in 1936 the boys’ school opened in Kerkstraat. A few
years later, the former school was converted into a parish hall.
Mr Sterke bought the schoolhouse.
There used to be a shop and a small cigar factory owned by Wilhelmus van der Linden.
The first recorded mention of ‘t pleintje as a café dates from 1944; before that, it had been a farm.
The premises adjoining the café had previously housed, amongst other things, Schilders’ grocery shop and Box’s DIY shop.