Originally, windmills in North America were the slow moving, cumbersome mills of Europe, which there were two basic designs. Some were tower mills on which the "4-bladed wheel" was mounted on a swiveling cap set atop a permanent, stationary tower. The others, as this example shows, were called, "Post Mills" in which the entire structure of the mill rotated on a massive wooden post in order for the blades to face the wind. Inside the mills were stones and other equipment needed for grinding grain into meal or flour. Moving slowly and requiring constant attendance by millers, these clumsy machines certainly were not adapted to pumping water or even operating machinery on a small scale.
Canada had many old style windmills, one of the best known was built in 1825 at Fort Douglas in Manitoba. Another operated outside Fort Edmonton in Alberta in the 1850's. This example is patterned after the "Flowerdew" mills of Virginia. The "Flowerdew 100" was grinding grain and corn for meal and flour in 1629.
This mill - aptly named the "Wild Rose Mill" was designed and constructed by Peter and Gerry Tailer for their windfarm museum on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. It was graciously gifted to the Canadian National Historic Windpower Centre by them in 1993.
The "Wild Rose" sets the stage for windpower in North America and is the "Starting Point" for this centre. You are invited to go inside the "Wild Rose" and experience the immensity of it.
Donated by: Peter and Gerry Tailer Hanover, New Hampshire
Built 1920
[homepage]Current mill, in full working order, dates from 2001, when it was built to replace a 1972 replica mill that was destroyed by arson on Oct 22, 2000. In turn this was a replacement of the original 1877 mill which was torn down in the 1920s.
[homepage]Originally built c1910 at Fraserwood, moved to a museum in the 1970's, and restored.
[homepage] [photo] [info]saw mill and grist mill, modelled on a mill in the Netherlands
partly vertical weatherboarded, which makes it look like a smock mill from some directions
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built 2000 - there is a smaller model windmill alongside as well
Within the now closed theme park
[photo]Landmark building for a now closed theme park
[info] [news] [photo]an ice cream parlour
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Public convenience, erected 1992 to commemorate numerous windmills that once stood in the area
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erected 1962 for the 50th anniversary of the city
All that remains is a French Burr millstone
| Last generated 02/07/2026 | Text and images © Mark Berry, 1997-2026 - |
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