Long after his earthly passing, one Port de Grave man can still be heard hard at work.
One of the most important side-hustles in a busy fishing community like Port de Grave was barrel-making. Wooden barrels were needed for transporting fish and other goods; even berries were exported in herring barrels. Skilled coopers were always needed, and many outport fishermen augmented their meagre yearly earnings making barrels or supplying materials for the cooper’s trade.
According to legend, one of Port de Grave’s coopers did not let his own passing interfere with his enterprise.
After his burial, locals claimed that the sound of the cooper knocking the hoops onto the barrels could be heard ringing mysteriously through the night air.