Custom Windmills
Windmill Profiles
When Illinois Windmills first launched in 2005, there were profiles
for just seven windmills. Today, there is information about over
FIFTY windmills that once stood in Illinois, five of which are still
standing.
To get started, click on a windmill name from the drop-menu above or
from the list of windmills below. Windmill names are derived from
their original owner or by popular title because many photographers,
landowners, newspapers, and historians incorrectly refer to these
structures simply as “old Dutch mills.”
This list is, by no means, considered complete. If you don't see a windmill listed below or have more information, please let me know! Help me add to this list by sending an email to info@illinoiswindmills.org
Surviving Windmills (5)
| City (Location) | Name (Alias) | Built (Restored) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmhurst (Mt. Emblem Cemetery) |
Fischer Windmill (Old Dutch Mill) (Mount Emblem Mill) (Ehlers' Mill) |
1867 (1926) | Closed, awaiting restoration |
| Fulton |
De Immigrant (Fulton's Dutch Mill) |
2001 | Open and operational |
| Geneva (Fabyan Forest Preserve) |
Fabyan Windmill (Old Holland Mill) (Old Dutch Mill) |
1877 (2005) | Open and operational |
| Golden |
Prairie Mills Windmill (Golden Windmill) |
1873 (2004) | Open and operational |
| Peotone |
Peotone Windmill (H. A. Rathje Windmill) |
1872 | Open, awaiting restoration |
Destroyed Windmills (50)
| City (Location) | Name (Alias) | Built (Restored) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Addison |
Heidemann Windmill (Heideman Mill) (Old Mill) |
1868 | Destroyed by fire, 1958 |
| Albion | Fordham Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Auburn | Sims Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Barrington |
Siedhoff Windmill (Old Dutch Mill) (Barrington Roller Mill) |
1867? | Destroyed by fire, 1884 |
| Beecher | Depner Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Belleville | Tannehill Windmill | ? | Destroyed by wind |
| Bensenville |
Franzen Windmill (Old Flax Mill) |
1850? | Destroyed |
| Benson |
Schmidt Bros. Windmill (Benson Mill) |
1872 | Destroyed |
| Bishop Hill | Janssonist Windmill | 1848 | Destroyed |
| Bloomingdale | Holstein Windmill | 1872 | Damaged by tornado 1899 |
| Bloomington | Gridley & Covel Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Broadview | Jung Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Burnt Prairie | Clark Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Chicago (1893 Columbian Expo) |
Blooker Cocoa Mill | 1893 | Removed 1893 |
| Chicago (1934 Century of Progress) |
Dutch Windmill | 1933 | Removed 1944 |
| Chicago | Gray Windmill | ? | Destroyed by owner, 1910 |
| Chicago | Vanden Berg Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Chicago | McKay Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Chicago | (unnamed windmill) | ? | Destroyed after 1839 |
| Des Plaines |
Jefferson Windmill (Des Plaines Mill) |
1841 | Destroyed |
| Fort de Chartres | Lalande Windmill | 1731 | Destroyed |
| Franklin Grove | Lahman Windmill | 1874 | Destroyed by owner, 1900 |
| Glen Ellyn | (unnamed windmill) | ? | Destroyed by fire |
| Golden |
Custom Windmill (Emminga Windmill) (Franzen's Old Mill) |
1854 (1860) | Destroyed by owner, 1934 |
| Golden | Gronewold Windmill | 1865 | Destroyed |
| Gridley | Franzen Bros. Windmill | 1869 (1872) | Destroyed |
| Hampshire |
Rinn Windmill (Holland Mill) |
? | Destroyed |
| Highland | Fontaine Windmill | 1858 | Destroyed by owner, 1910 |
| Jerseyville | Gerrish Windmill | 1839 | Destroyed by fire, 1850 |
| Kaskaskia | Jesuit Windmill | 1711 | Destroyed |
| Kentucky | Milburn Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Lake Zurich | (unnamed windmill) | 1850s | Destroyed by owner, 1858 |
| Matteston | (unnamed windmill) | ? | Destroyed |
| Monee |
Shroeder Windmill (Monee Mill) |
? | Destroyed |
| Palatine | Jahnke Windmill | 1879? | Destroyed 1894? |
| Peoria | DuSable Windmill | 1691 | Destroyed |
| Peoria | Maillet Windmill | 1778 | Destroyed |
| Peoria | Ward Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Polo | Brand Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Saint Joseph | (unnamed windmill) | ? | Destroyed |
| Scales Mound | Conlee Windmill | 1857 | Destroyed |
| Schiller Park |
Brockman Windmill (Des Plaines Mill) (Park Ridge Mill) (Old Dutch Mill) |
1870 | Damaged, destroyed 1930s |
| Somonauk |
Sanders Mill (Holland Grist Mill) |
1876 | Destroyed by owner, 1893 |
| Teutopolis | Uptmor Windmill | 1842 | Destroyed by owner, 1860 |
| Tinley Park |
Bartels Windmill (Old Mill) (New Bremen Mill) |
1873 | Destroyed by owner, 1911 |
| Urbana | Phillippe Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
| Waterloo | (unnamed windmill) | ? | Destroyed |
| Winnetka | Old Mill Farm | ? | Destroyed |
| (unknown location) | (unnamed windmill) | ? | Destroyed |
| (unknown location) | Leiter Windmill | ? | Destroyed |
