Windmills of the USA

To most Americans, a windmill refers to a metal windpump. There are however a scattering of more traditional "grist" mills to be found in various states, as well as some modern constructions built to celebrate the heritage of individual communities.

This page includes a selection of the windmills of the USA.

California

California has two magnificent windmills in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, which were constructed in the early 20th century to irrigate the park. The mills, known as the Dutch Windmill, and the Murphy Windmill are currently undergoing restoration.

Golden Gate Dutch Mill Murphy Windmill, Golden Gate Park
The Dutch Mill, and The Murphy Windmill - 1999.

[California]

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Book cover - shows Sandwich windmill.

Cape Cod has an extensive windmill heritage, and the mills are in general well preserved.

Cape Cod
Nantucket - [info] [info]

Illinois

Fabyan windmill, Batavia
Fulton
Golden
Peotone
Fisher mill, Mount Emblem Cemetery, Elmhurst

Indiana

Mid America Windmill Museum has a post mill constructed to the same plans as Robertson's Windmill

Iowa

Michigan

Holland
Kellogg Biological Station, Michigan State University
Greenfield Village, Henry Ford Museum - a relocated Cape Cod windmill.

New Jersey

Volendam Windmill Museum a Dutch designed mill, (built a generation ago) which was capable of milling, but in recent years has been decaying.

New York

Morristown

Long Island, New York

Another area with a long and well preserved windmill tradition.

[Long Island, New York]

Rhode Island

Jamestown

Texas

Victoria [info]

Virginia

As an early colony, Virginia probably had the first windmill constructed in the USA, though no remains survive. There are however two reconstructions of these early mills to be found at Colonial Williamburg, and Flowerdew Hundred.

Robertson's Mill, Colonial Williamsburg

[Virginia]

Washington State

Washington State is not a windmilling state - those windmills that exist are mostly recently constructed mock mills.

[Washington State]

Wisconsin

Little Chute - proposed

Historical locations

Florida

In the 1920's, the fast growing area of Miami Beach had a windmill which served as an attraction and advertisment for a hotel and casino.

[Carl Fisher casino, Miami Beach]

Las Vegas, Nevada

There's not much demand for grist mills in the desert, so it probably comes as no surprise that the most windmill like structure to be found in the state of Nevada was a windpump associated with a casino - the El Rancho casino which was the first themed resort to open in Las Vegas.

[Las Vegas]