The Orphan-wells are two wells (one first and the second a century later) near de Hoge Berg at Texel. These wells supplied pure drinking water to the inhabitants but also to the ships on the Texel Roads. They were owned by the only orphanage of the island. The water was praised everywhere because it was tenable much longer than water from any other well. The keeping qualities were very important especially on the VOC ships. They made long journeys of sometimes well over nine months. With the VOC the water from Texel also earned its fame. It was so well known that trips to the orphan wells were organised in this era, to behold the origin of this special water.

Oudeschild has been founded in 1602 on the east side of Texel. The Texel Roads being the reason, the anchorage where hundreds of sailing vessels started and ended their journey’s. Many pilots, craftsmen, shopkeepers and other people who hoped to earn a living, settled here. But Oudeschild has also known times of hardship. When the importance of the roads and the fishing was fading Oudeschild fell to poverty. Still, the village recovered and with the growing tourism, it has grown into a blooming little town as port city and home of the fishing-fleet. Various expositions in the museum show the history of the village.

De Schans the fort near the Waddenzee. For many years the fort has been neglected and no one knew about its history. That changed dramatically. The fort has been restored in its old pomp and splendour by Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (a sort of Dutch National Trust) and the history of the fort comes to life in the tours that are organised by the Maritiem & Jutters Museum. The fort tells the story of the 80 years lasting independence-war against the Spanish Inquisition, in which William of Orange and the Beggars of the Sea played a decisive role. It tells about the wars between the Dutch and the English in the “golden” seventeenth century, about the Texel Roads and the VOC, about the French domination and Napoleon Bonaparte. Five centuries of history in which emperors, princes, soldiers and farmers all claim their part.

Texel developed about 140.000 years ago. The oldest part of the island exists of three boulder clay mounts, Noord-Haffel, Zuid-Haffel and the Hoge Berg. 80.000 to 10.000 years ago a lot of geest was deposited around mentioned mounts. During the Holocene, the age we live in now, clay sediment formed the island into what it is today. Only since the 11th century, Texel has become an island. Before that there has always been a connection to the mainland.
The oldest occupation of Texel dates back to about 12.000 b. C. Since the Stone Age Texel has always known times of inhabitation.