The five custom windmills in Illinois as they appear today.
Click on a picture to learn more about each mill.

From top, clockwise: De Immigrant, Fulton; Fabyan Windmill, Geneva;
Fischer Windmill, Elmhurst; Peotone Windmill, Peotone;
and Prairie Mills Windmill, Golden.

Welcome

Welcome to Illinois Windmills, a website dedicated to the history, preservation, and continuing story of windmills in Illinois. Many associate Illinois with hundreds of towering white wind turbines spread over acres of farmland.  Others may remember wind engines quietly pumping water for families in rural areas of the state.  But what many do not know is that during the nineteenth century, Illinois’ countryside could have easily been mistaken for Holland; the state was once home to over fifty custom wind grist mills.  Sadly, only four still stand, and a fifth was constructed in 2000.

If at all possible, I highly recommend visiting the remaining custom windmills of Illinois; their construction and survival over time are a testament to the genius of our ancestors’ handiwork.  To see the windmills in person—and in action—is a unique and unforgettable experience. These treasures are important reminders of our national heritage and of Illinois’ strong agricultural community. Visit the tourism page for more information about these and other windmills across the country.

Many mills were destroyed before photographs and other documents could be recorded, thus very little information is known about them.  Photographs, maps, and full history profiles are included where information is available.  If you have any information—pictures, postcards, articles, genealogical records, official documents, or personal stories—about any windmills in Illinois, I urge you to contact me: info@illinoiswindmills.org.  I will also be more than happy to answer any questions you may have regarding windmills, mill technology, terminology, or local history.

This web site is designed to be educational in nature. Many hours of research have been dedicated to ensuring the information within is accurate and helpful in explaining how these technological machines have enhanced our lives. Through the use of text, tables, illustrations, and photographs on an interactive and user-friendly layout, my hope is that you will find Illinois Windmills to be a complete source for everything regarding wind power in Illinois.

Start Here

There are three basic types of windmills: custom windmills, also known as smock or grist mills, are built for industrial uses including grinding grain; wind engines, also known as American or farm windmills, typically pump water for steam locomotives and for farmers; and wind turbines, also known as wind generators,  provide electricity from wind power. Click on one of the pictures below to learn more about it:

Custom Windmills

Wind Engines

Wind Turbines

Announcements

After months of planning and code writing, conversion of the Illinois Windmills web site from old language to a modern CSS site is complete; several new pages and pictures are available for you to explore.  I hope that you will enjoy the enhanced features of the site.  What began in 2005 as a 7 page web site is now 100 pages strong! Thanks to those who completed the online web surveys or contacted me with updated windmill information.

Now available: social media sharing. You can easily share a page by printing, e-mailing, or posting to your favorite social media site. Look for the sharing bar at the top or bottom of any page. Be sure to check the News and Events page for mill-related events!