The company “Firma Gustaf Byström Skeppsstuveri ”, later operating under the name “Hörnefors Stuveri AB”.

The office was located on the upper floor of this house at the far end of the headland at Skatan. Current address: Norrbyn 520.

Stevedores – a new working class

With the industries in Hörnefors and Norrbyskär, a new group of workers came to the area – the stevedores. Initially, there was no proper stevedoring organisation; instead, private stevedores competed with one another. In 1906, on the advice of the “Transport Workers’ Union”, the “Norrland Stevedores’ Association” was formed. In 1923, the last private stevedore gave up.

Stevedoring in Norrbyn

In 1923, Gustaf Byström from Sundsvall arrived in Norrbyn and founded “Firma Gustaf Byströms Skeppsstuveri”. He was active within the “Norrland Stuvareförbund”. It is said that he was the one who encouraged the workers in Hörnefors to organise.

In Norrbyn, there were around 80 people in the regular stevedoring workforce.
Most were farmers who earned extra and much-needed income by working on cargo ships.
There were also non-landowners in Norrbyn whose main source of income was stevedoring.
The main difficulty was the long winter lay-offs with no income.

Hörnefors Stuveri AB

Evald Eriksson from Norrbyn purchased the company in 1968, and it was renamed “Hörnefors Stuveri AB”.
Following the closure of the Hörnefors factory by “Norrlands Skogsägares Cellulosa AB” (NCB) in 1982, the stevedoring firm also came to an end and was shut down.