Village of the Union of the parishes of Mação, Penhascoso and Aboboreira.
Places of interest:
CARREGUEIRA CHURCH
Legend has it that a shepherd found a STAR in the shape of an image in the hollow of a cork oak tree in this place and kept it in an old hayloft that existed there.
"The people of Mação (as they were called by the people of the village), came here to take it away and took it to the village church several times, but it always returned to the hayloft.
For this reason the people decided to build a very small chapel where to keep the STAR that they called OUR LADY OF THE STAR.
Later, by the end of 1800, with the monetary help of several benefactors linked to the village and with the collaboration of the local people and materials (stone and wood) they built a new and current church on the same site.
CORTUMES MANUFACTURE (Bresteval area)
Towards the end of the 1800's it was built by an unknown man coming from Mação, a village where at that time there were already weaving factories. The factory's main objective was to take advantage of the wool from the many cattle in the area, as well as from the many available labor in the village, and there was no lack of water for washing the same (the tanks for this purpose are still visible inside and outside).
It is not known if its activity began with or without authorization, it is known by information from ancestors that the surrounding smell was very unpleasant, as well as the water released into the small stream attached causing anger to the population, is also unknown if these were the reasons for its closure by the Venatoria.
From the present owners of the land, we know that, by the beginning of 1900, this land was owned by João Simões, a businessman and natural of Aldeia de Eiras, who married Maria Thomásia, natural of this village (Carregueira).
LARGO DAS FESTAS e ASSOCIAÇÃO da CARREGUEIRA
By the end of the 1950's a public square was improved in the upper part of the village called "Sobreirinho", where with this improvement the village festivities that usually take place in September in honor of OUR LADY OF THE STAR AND GOOD LUCK had the concentration of population and visitors.
By the beginning of 1970, a group of natural people from the village living in Lisbon and linked to the area of construction, but in the village had their roots and their heart, with the support of all present and equally absent acquired a piece of land attached to the back of the existing Primary School (Space that would become property of the people).
In that same year, being most of them people from the construction area, they started the work of the actual building and annexes, for that, making available all their extra professional time, mainly their weekly rest, and thus, remaining the "carolice" and keeping the meeting point of the Carregueirenses.
BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER
The bridge over the river was built in 1903 connecting Carregueira to Penhascoso, thus creating a shorter and more accessible way. In times of higher water flow, as it was not possible to cross the river, people from Carregueira had to take a detour through the town of Mação to get to Penhascoso.
It was ordered by the Mação's Mayor at the time, Priest Manuel Gomes Pires, a Carregueira descendant.
FÁBRIDA DAS COSTELAS
After crossing the bridge over the river Carregueira in the direction of Penhascoso, we can find, on the right side, the ruins of what was, by the 1930's and 1940's, the factory of ribs (oval-shaped wire traps), still existing today and used to create traps for birds.
Its execution was totally manual, it was simply done by the owners and some punctual collaborators.
For its execution there were only small molds where the wire was wrapped as well as simple tools of the time (hammers, turquoises, pliers and little more manually made for this purpose).
After their execution and the need to sell, they would walk with some of the production inside a bag to places where a fair could take place or to the Belver station where by train they would go to more distant places like Abrantes, Entroncamento, etc.
INAUGURATION OF THE FOUNTAIN, WASHBASIN AND DRINKING TROUGH OF THE DONKEYS
In the year 1951, during the village festivities (September), these public and unique public goods were inaugurated in the Mação Council. These improvements are said to be destined to Carregueira in Chamusca and not in Mação.
Because there was a water spring of enormous quantity, as well as quality, coming from the spring under the church, this became the daily meeting point of the population, for the daily washing of clothes.
At the end of the day, the girls with their clay pitchers would go to the spring to fetch water, taking the opportunity to flirt or, at the end of the working day, to give water to the donkeys that every family had.
(In the photo you can see fixed on the wall the photos of the then President of the
Republic Craveiro Lopes, as well as on the opposite side if the Council Antonio de Oliveira Salazar.
It is unknown why the picture of the flag has the crown over the Coat of Arms of the Republic.
Author: José Luis Romão