A map of the port at Skien from 1681 shows the channels for the saws, but also the problem that sawdust from the saws created for the port conditions because it built up shoals that made it difficult for ships to enter the quay in Skien.
The difficult port conditions at Skien laid the foundation for Porsgrunn at the mouth of the Skienselva River to grow up as the port city for Skien and several important noble and patrician families established themselves in Porsgrunn, such as Løvenskiold, Deichman and Aall, or they moved out from Skien to Porsgrunn and divided themselves between a Porsgrunn branch and a Skien branch.
The exodus from Skien opened up a return migration from Øvre Telemark to Skien of actors who could fill the void created by the emigrants. This meant that members of the former civil servant family Blom in Øvre Telemark could become the new important merchant family in Skien. At the same time, new families came to Skien from outside, such as Wesseltoftene, Adtzlev and Cappelen. They would be directly and indirectly linked to their father's family, Ibsen.