The mill of Ronkenstein is situated just outside the village Reuver. Today It's a very quiet and lovely hamlet in a friendly and green landscape. Some artists are living and working in the former mill and farms.

In a marriage document of "Engelbert von Holtmolen" and "Bele von Mulraede" (named "Boekholt") from 1472 already is mentioned the "Overste Molen toe Offenbeeck" (upper mill at the Offen brook). This mill, property of the Masters of the "Beeselse Hof Tegen Raede" (later calledN"ieuwenbroeck") , was probably built just a few years earlier. Before they probably used the "Onderste Molen" (Lower Mill), in the neighborhood of the "Foekebroek". Before this the mill belonged to the "Schei", but went independent in 1424. In 1487 the "Bovenste Molen" was leased to "Maes Lucken". He probably was a son of "Gaert Lucken", who already lived near the "Schellekensbeek:" in 1468. The name "Ron(c)kenstein" is from the 16th century. The word seems a combination of the sound "ronken" (snore) and the millstone (stein). But that's just a theory.

Depending on a document from 1534 Ronckenstein was situated between "Ronckensteins Goedt" and the "Sint Cornelistoren". The miller lived in the "Hof aan gen Ronckenstein." The "Ronckensteinsmoelen" is mentioned separate in this document. In 1540 a men named "Goertgen op then Ronckenstein" is mentioned as magistrate of Beesel. In the 16th and 17th century the mill was several times leased by Nieuwenbroeck: on the evening of fasting day in 1543 it was "Michell der Muller van gen Ronckenstein" who leased the the mill Ronckenstein in Offenbeck; this "Gieles van Ronckenstein" (1551) was followed up on august 14th 1569 by "Linnert der muller van gen Ronckenstein". In 1600 "Heinrich op gen Ronckenstein" is mentioned. He was a son of Willem Reuter, the miller of the "onderste molen".

As a result of the marriage of "Catharina Ronckensteins" with "Gordt op den Cruytzberch" the mill came, slowly loosing her tires with Nieuwenbroeck, in the beginning of the 17th century in hands of the family Cruijsberg from Beesel. On January 26th 1665 "Hendrick Segers" leased the mill from "Hendrick opten Cruyssberch", named the new miller of "ghen Roinckstein". After "Segers" the mill was also named "Segershof". On march 9th 1699 "Jan Cruijsberch" and his wife "Encke Franssen" sold, together with the guardians of the heirs of "Peter Cruijsbergh" one fourth part of the "Ronckensteijnse Meulen" to "Neeske Cruijsbergh" and her children, who also bought the other shares.

In 1730 the owners of the grain mill decided to built a second (oil)mill. This mill was pulled down in the second half of the 19th century.
About 1760 the grain mill was so decayed that she had to be pulled down and rebuilt on another place. It's the mill in timber framing that we know nowadays as Ronckenstein. Depending on the Church indexes at the end of the 18th century, there lived "aen de Ronckensteensche Molen" "Francis Bongaerts" and "Wilhelmina Meuter" (1788-1794), "Peter Janssen" and "Joanna Claessen" (1788) en "Godefridus Driessen" and his wife "Willemina Joosten" (1790-1792).

In the winter of 1921 the the paddle wheels where dismantled and replaced by a turbine. In 1956 ended, with "Sef Cremers" as the miller, the industrial area of the mill.

Around the 18th century mill and millers house got company from some houses at the opposite of the road. After "Geurt Trines" died in 1764 his heirs "Hendrick Bongaerts" and "Peter Driessen" built two farms in respectively 1676 and 1677. "Godefridus Driessen", son of Peter, was miller in 1809 with also the Bongaerts family as co-owners. As a result of the marriage between "Anna Maria Driessen" and "Gerard Stox" in 1821, mill and farms got in hands of the family Stoks. They owned them until 1938. The last miller was called "Cremers". About 1950 the mill stopped for ever.

A son of this Cremers runs a cafe "Ronckenstein" now at Past. Vranckenlaan 10 in Reuver where you can order a good glass of beer and and a tastfull sandwich.

We still did not find any link to the Ron(c)ken family yet. The name could come possibly, as the story goes, from Johan van Ron(c)ken, former magistrate of Beesel. Today Ron(c)kenstein is a guarded hamlet. It's very nice situated and you can take a nice walk around the place.