On the corner of Møllegade and Stationsvej, you need some imagination. No factory building remains, but the place marks the large furniture factory that Jens Peder Jensen ran here at Stationsvej 12. It is one of the places where Ansager’s working life can be read through what is missing.
The factory grew out of a joinery workshop and became genuine serial production. Here, desks, dining-room sets, oak dining rooms, and white bedrooms were made, not only for local customers, but for distribution further out across the country. The location close to the station made the corner practical: the furniture could continue by rail, while raw materials and goods found their way into town.
The fire was a severe break in the town’s business history. The factory did not return to Ansager, and many former employees had to find new paths. Several apprentice joiners started out as independent craftsmen in town, so the craft continued in smaller workshops, even though the large workplace was gone.
The site can be seen from the road and pavement, and according to local information there is a safe place to stand at the corner. The real experience lies in the contrast between an ordinary street crossing and the industry that once filled it.
The photo shows the staff at Ansager Møbelfabrik on Stationsvej 12, registered to the period 1930-1938. Here, carpenters, foreman Marius Madsen, factory owner Jens Peder Jensen, and his wife Signe Cecilie Jensen stand together in front of a workplace that would soon disappear.
The factory burned to the ground on 17 January 1939 and was not rebuilt in Ansager. Several of the journeyman carpenters began working as independent carpenters in the town after the fire – a quiet aftermath hidden in a group photo.
On the morning of 17 January 1939, the fire started at the central heating system after being fired with wood shavings. Manufacturer J. P. Jensen tried himself to extinguish the flames, but the smoke forced him out, and shortly afterwards the fire was out of control.
Firefighters from Varde and Falck from several towns sprayed water from both fire hydrants and a stream about 200 meters away. The factory burned to the ground, around 30 people lost their jobs, and the damage was estimated at 150,000 kr.
