More than 100 years ago they represented life itself on a farm. Dotting the landscape of the plains, the windmill carried water from deep underground to the surface.
Today, it’s serenity in rhythm as fan blades spin in the wind. The sounds of yesterday’s progress echo across the acreage at the Mid-America Windmill Museum in Kendallville, Ind. Each of the roughly 50 windmills dotting the grounds, tells a story from generations past.
“The design hasn’t changed much,” says Mike Fitzgibbon, the museum’s president of the board of directors. “You have your fan blade, and you have the gearbox that transforms the wind into mechanical power or force and that pumps the water.”
This part of the country in northeast Indiana was once a hotbed for mill manufacturers.
“At the turn of the century, in this tri-state area [Indiana, Ohio and Michigan], there were more than 100 different windmill manufacturers,” adds Todd Skinner, a board member with the Mid-America Windmill Museum.
Pam Younce, who runs publicity, says the location was the key to the industry.
“This was the hub of windmill companies because of the wood that was available; the poplar, the oak and the hickory,” Younce says.
While the region was well suited for manufacturing the parts and pieces, it was points west that provided the backdrop for the windmill’s rise as an agricultural icon.
First patented in 1854, Daniel Halladay created a windmill that could automatically turn to face changing wind directions and mechanically self-regulate its speed.
“There’s a lot of people who understand the mechanics of things if you work on the farm,” Fitzgibbon says. “He probably had to be involved with agriculture of some sort back in those days.”
In the early days, all of the windmill construction was done by hand.
“The towers were built from the ground up,” Skinner explains. “They would start putting the tower together on the ground and work their way up to the top. Then they would use a gin pole and a winch to winch the windmill up and set it in place.”
As the west expanded and surface water in America’s vast arid regions became harder to find, the windmill stood in the gap. It became a stoic symbol of civilization, silhouetted against the West’s painted sky.
“When you’re out on a 160,000-acre ranch they were very useful and the only way to get water to the cattle,” Younce says.
“It was their lifeblood,” Skinner adds. “If you didn’t have water, you couldn’t have your farm or take care of your livestock or your family.”
Windmills also helped drive settlers to new regions as water stations dotted the railroad every 20 to 50 miles in service of thirsty steam-powered locomotives.
Fabric-covered sails gave way to wooden blades, which turned into metal fans and towers by the late 1800s. Eventually self-oiling gearboxes helped reduce maintenance and improved longevity.
By the 1930s, $32 would get you an 8' windmill and 30' tower. Today, Skinner says that same setup costs closer to $10,000.
The windmill is a piece of history, and the Mid-American Windmill Museum is pouring back into the community thanks to tours and history lessons for local kids.
“Most kids don’t grow up on farms anymore so it’s real enlightening to see these kids understand how this all works and where the water actually comes from,” Skinner says.
While they give a lot of tours to kids, it’s not uncommon to find a nostalgic adult sitting among the mills, transported to days gone by.
“A lot of people who grew up with windmills back in the day recognize all the sounds,” explains Skinner, who handles most of the maintenance at the museum. “All of these sounds mean that something needs attention and I need to get to work.”
“A lot of people enjoy the noises,” Fitzgibbon echoes. “You don’t hear noises like that in the cities anymore. You hear honking horns and sirens, but you can come out here and enjoy the serenity of what it might have been like in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
Back to another time, before the hustle and bustle of modern America.
“Visitors say when the windmills are making noise they are talking or they’re singing to them,” Younce adds.
A song from the past, as these legends stand tall against time’s horizon and serve as a reminder that simple ingenuity can conquer even the harshest foe.
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