Origin
In 1410, the diking off was commissioned of the salt marshes and mud flats where Oud-Vossemeer is now located. In addition, the right to operate a ferry and the right of passage were granted to the lords of the new Vossemeer Manor. The first ferry to Brabant (in the direction of Halsteren) was installed 2.5 km to the south of Botshoofd, in 1494. That was the location of the nearest dike in Brabant (of the Rubeerpolder).
In the year 1567, the lords of the manor commissioned the diking-off of the first polders in the Nieuw-Vossemeer lake (part of Zeeland on the Brabant side). In order to ensure a good connection with this new land, a new ferry was put in place much closer to the village. It was intended as a direct connection between the villages of Oud-Vossemeer and Nieuw-Vossemeer. An attempt by the lords around 1555 to completely dam the Eendracht did not get past Emperor Charles V.
The original ferry at Botshoofd was from then on referred to as the ‘old’ ferry.