Custom Windmills
Fabyan Windmill
Old Holland Mill, Old Dutch Mill
Fabyan Forest Preserve East
1600 Crissey Avenue (IL-Route 25)
Geneva, IL 60134
Status
Open and operational
Tours
Tours are available during open hours. No admission fee is required, but a donation is suggested.
Hours
May 15 to October 15
Saturday: 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.
Sunday: 1:00 to 4:00 P.M.
Closed / non-operational during winter.
Wheelchair Accessible
Basement level only
Website
Tower Height
68'
Sail Span
74' - 4"
Uses
(1877 - 1919) Wheat
(1877 - 1919) Buckwheat
(1916 - 1919)
Feed
Note: the grinding stones and machinery have been fully restored, but the windmill does not grind at this time.
Constructed
(1875 - 1877) Original
(1914 - 1915) Relocation / Reconstruction
(2003 - 2005) Restoration
Millwrights
Louis Frederick Backhaus (Original)
Rasmussen (Relocation)
John Johnson (Relocation)
Lucas Verbij (Restoration)
Owners
Friedrich Brockmann (1877 - 1887)
Louis Frederick Backhaus (1875 - 1877)
Herman Volberduig (1877 - 1885)
Fred Runge (1887 - 1914)
Colonel George Fabyan (1914 - 1939)
Kane County Forest Preserve (1939 - present)
Honors
1979: National Register of Historic Places
1980: Featured on Windmills USA postage stamp
Fabyan Windmill, August 2010
Photo by Tom Haskell
History
The Fabyan windmill now sits proudly upon a hill on the Eastern bank of
the Fox River in peaceful Geneva, Illinois. Completely refurbished
and operational, the windmill is a majestic sight that complements its
surroundings in what was once the estate of Colonel George Fabyan.
Now part of the Kane County Forest Preserve District, the windmill grove
is the most visited in the region and is a widely popular living history
exhibit.
The mill was originally constructed in section 21 of York Township soon
after partners Louis Frederick Backhaus and Friedrich Brockmann
purchased the ten-acre farm in 1875. The plot was located on the
northwest corner of 16th and Meyers Road (now part of Knolls Park in
Lombard) and cost just $900. The windmill’s structure was made
from a Dutch-built prefabricated kit that included hand-cut cypress
beams with hickory and maple gearing. The parts were shipped to
Lombard and assembled on site. The mill also had a wing building
presumably used for storage (though it may have once housed an auxiliary
steam engine).
Herman Volberduig became Brockmann’s new business partner upon Louis
Backhaus’s death in 1877, probably just a few months into the mill’s
operation. Apparently, business for the mill was relatively good,
as the land value continued to rise over time—probably because the
windmill was located near the Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin line (now the
Illinois Prairie Path), which carried passengers and freight to and from
the Loop. Still, a few years after Volberduig left the
partnership, Brockmann sold the farm and the mill to Frederick Runge in
1887 for $4,000. The windmill continued operation under Runge, as
indicated in a 1912 photograph that shows the mill intact and with its
sails in a ‘+’ configuration (meaning a “short rest”). A year
later, however, a storm damaged the sails, prompting Runge to find a
buyer.
On October 15, 1914, Colonel George Fabyan purchased the mill for $8,000
from the widow of Frederick Runge. His motivation for the purchase
is unknown; some evidence suggests it was a present for his wife, while
most agree that Fabyan was the kind of man who wanted things most people
did not have. Fabyan had the intention of relocating the mill onto
his own estate; however, the size of the mill prevented him from easily
doing so. Thus, Fabyan would spend his next 19 months and $75,000
disassembling the mill piece by piece. One year after purchasing
the mill, Runge’s farmland was sold to Louis Reinke for just $3700 (it
can be assumed, then, that most of the mill was still probably standing
on the land). The mill parts were shipped to Geneva through the
employment of the Egar E. Belding Company of West Chicago. The
windmill was reassembled it on its present site at Riverbank by Danish
millwright Rasmussen (who worked mostly on the interior) with the
assistance of John Johnson (who built a new set of sails) and six
others.
Fabyan made alterations to his mill after it was moved. A new
foundation for the mill was poured at Riverbank creating a basement
level, making the rebuilt mill six floors high (the tallest in
Illinois). Windows were added to the fourth floor (reasoning
unknown). Even though the original mill was made almost entirely
of wood, he had an iron drive shaft installed (separate from that of the
wooden upright shaft) to run the machinery in the basement level (which
included a sharpening wheel, a corn sheller, and a grain separator).
He also installed an oven in the basement, although evidence suggests it
was rarely, if ever, used. Because of the mill’s structure, an
exhaust system was built underground, then came up through a chimney
disguised in a stone bus shelter (destroyed in the 1950s by a truck).
Some of the other parts of the mill that ought to be wooden—such as the
quants—are now iron, but it is not clear whether these alterations were
made by Fabyan or by previous owners. The mill stones are designed for
wheat, corn, and feed grinding. In addition to being an asset to
local farmers, the mill’s products were also used to feed the Colonel’s
livestock and two bears, Tom and Jerry. The mill stopped grinding
in 1919.
Colonel George Fabyan and his wife, Nelle, first settled on just ten
acres south of Geneva. The Villa was designed by Frank Lloyd
Wright in 1907 (the Villa now serves as a museum full of photographs and
memorabilia). In 1914, landscape architect Taro Otsuka designed
Fabyan’s Japanese Garden. The garden was restored in 1971 and
again in 1994, and is open to the public. Eventually, Fabyan’s
estate grew to cover 600 acres and was the home to award-winning
livestock and other animals. The Colonel died May 17, 1936; his
wife died two years later, and the executors of her will sold Riverbank
to the Kane County Forest Preserve for $70,500. The unique
preserve instantly became a local landmark.
The windmill, although rarely used after the forest preserve’s
acquisition, was a tourist attraction. Soon Fabyan Forest Preserve
became the most visited of the county’s forests, and the windmill the
most photographed structure in the region. The forest preserve
left the mill open to the public, complete with tours of its interior.
Amazingly (aside from the natural dry rot of the wood), the mill’s
structure suffered little over time. Even the sails remained
intact (probably because the cap was turned to face south, so the
prevailing west winds would have passed through the sails rather than
try to turn them).
Kane County considered the windmill’s demolition as early as 1990 when
it became structurally unsafe for public inspection. Jack Cook and
Jon Duerr, among others, began fighting to keep the mill intact.
In 1997, the Kane County Forest Preserve District hired Lucas Verbij, a
world-renowned third-generation Dutch millwright, to inspect the Fabyan
windmill and compose a condition report. Verbij was discovered by
the Preservation Partners of Fox Valley, a non-profit organization
dedicated to Riverbank’s care. The initial cost estimate was over
$600,000. Although the price was steep for the Forest Preserve,
many locals, the Preservation Partners, and Lucas Verbij insisted that
the unique mill be preserved. Through fund-raising, private
investments, and a grant, the Kane County Forest Preserve voted to
preserve the mill.
In 2003, the cap was lifted off the tower (the sails were already taken
down some years ago, as they were a structural threat) so that parts
could be shipped to
Verbij’s company in Holland. Meanwhile, in Illinois, construction
crews worked to strengthen the concrete foundation and reinforce the
tower. The cracks in the huge wooden support beams were filled
with a wood and fiberglass mixture. Other parts of the mill, such
as the hoppers, grain elevators, and chutes, were completely rebuilt.
In April of 2004, the rebuilt cap was lifted onto the
tower. On October 16, 2004 (90 years and one day after Colonel Fabyan
bought the mill), the restoration was complete, save some minor details
and the grinding stones. The windmill remains mostly as it did
during Fabyan’s ownership, except for some modern amenities (fire
alarms, track lighting, flood lights).
The forest preserve held a grand opening celebration on June 3, 2005,
exactly 26 years after it was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places. Local artists displayed their work and a ceremony
was held to commemorate those involved in its restoration on a job well
done. The mill itself was dressed in red, white, and blue as the
volunteer millers managed to get the sails turning despite light winds.
The final cost of restoration was $916,000.
In 2008 work was completed on a small picnic pavilion just to the south
of the windmill; historical photographs of the mill were posted
throughout the shelter the following year. From a distance—and at
just the right angle—the shelter almost looks like the wing building
that used to be attached the mill when it was still located in Lombard.
New landscaping and sidewalks are among the improvements made at the
site since its restoration.
In 2010 Muscat Painting was
awarded a contract to repaint the trim, wind shaft, sails, tail poles,
bracing, and stage of the windmill.
Sources
-Accounts of the Fabyan Mill’s Origin. Ron Behnke, 2005.
-Fabyan Windmill. Kane County Forest Preserve District, 2005.
-Geneva, Illinois: A History of its Times and Places. Geneva: Geneva
Public Library District, 1977.
-“Windward ho!” Addison Press. 26 June 1998.
-Picnic shelter panels (1) (2)
(3) (4)
(5) (6)
at windmill site
-Mark Rivecco (miller)
-personal records / observations
Images
Photo in York Township (1900s) courtesy James Waughon
Photo in York Township (1911) courtesy Jeanne Ringland
Postcard in York Township (1900s) from DigitalPast.
Postcard in York Township (1900s) from DigitalPast
Postcard in York Township (1900s) courtesy Paul van den Berg
Postcard in York Township (1900s) courtesy Paul van den Berg
Photo in York Township (1900s) courtesy Paul van den Berg
Photo of Mrs. Fred Runge, just before selling to Fabyan (1912) from
Kane Co. Forest Preserve
Photo on Fabyan’s estate (1916) courtesy Paul van den Berg
Postcard on Fabyan’s estate (1910s) from DigitalPast
Postcard of the Fabyan Forest Preserve (1962).
Stamp featuring the Fabyan mill (1980).
Envelope featuring a drawing of
the windmill but in a prairie setting (1980) with the stamp.
Photo looking northeast (2005) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking northeast (2005) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking northeast (2005) by Tom Haskell.
Photo of cast-iron shafts and gears to turn the basement machinery
(2005) by Tom Haskell.
Photo of a storage hopper with flour spouts (2005) by Tom Haskell.
Photo of millwright Lucas Verbij accepting a plaque of honor for his
work (2005) by Tom Haskell.
Photo of the grand opening sign (2005) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking east after the cap has been turned (2005) by Tom
Haskell.
Photo showing the winch and chain for winding the cap (2006) by Tom
Haskell.
Photo of the great spur wheel and one of the stone nuts (2006) by
Tom Haskell.
Photo of one of the stone nuts (2006) by Tom Haskell.
Photo of the windshaft, brake wheel, and brake, looking toward the
face of the cap (2006) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking north in winter (2006) by Tom Haskell.
Photo of the a new permanent history feature (2006) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking northwest (2008) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking northwest (2008) by Tom Haskell.
Photo of the new picnic shelter and the mill (2008) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking north at the shelter and mill (2008) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking north (2009) by Tom Haskell.
Photo looking northeast (2010) by Tom Haskell
Photo looking northwest (2010) by Tom
Haskell
Photo of the road sign announcing
tours (2010) by Tom Haskell
