Custom Windmills
De Zwaan
The Swan
Windmill Island
1 Lincoln Avenue
Holland, MI 49423
Status
Open and operational
Tours
Tours are available during open hours. Admission is $7.50 for adults and $4.50 for children / students.
Hours
Mid-April to October
Daily: 9:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Tulip Time (second week of May)
Daily: 9:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.
Wheelchair Accessible
Ground level only
Website
Tower Height
57' (original) 90' (relocated)
Sail Span
80'
Uses
(1649 - 1653) Oil
(1653 - 1761) (1762 - 1865) Hemp
(1865 - 1884) Storage shed
(1887 - 1940s) (1965 - present) Corn
(1887 - 1940s) (1965 - present) Wheat
Constructed
(1649) Original
(1761 - 1762) Reconstruction
(1884 - 1887) Relocated / Restored
(1964 - 1965) Relocated / Restored
Millwrights
Engel Barentsz (Original)
? (Reconstruction)
P. Van Schaijk (Relocated / Restored)
Jan Diederik Medendorp (Relocated / Restored)
Owners
Note: There are far too many people to list for De Zwaan's ownership in the Netherlands.
Holland, MI (1964 - present)
De Zwaan in May 2009
Photo by Tom Haskell
History
Standing on foreign ground upon an island all its own, De Zwaan (The
Swan) continues to grind grain the way it did decades ago, serving as
both a tourist attraction and a living history museum. The people
of Dutch-influenced Holland, Michigan are incredibly proud of their
heritage and the story De Zwaan has survived to tell. The mighty
windmill can be seen for miles around and is the subject of several
photographs.
The origin of the windmill is a somewhat controversial topic, both in
the Netherlands and in Holland, Michigan. According to the Dutch
mill database, a windmill by the name of De Zwaan was constructed back
in 1649 as an oil press in Krommenie. But by about 1653, a few
owners sold their shares of the business, and the windmill was converted
to a hemp mill. The hemp business was very important to the Dutch,
who used hemp to make the rope and sailcloth of other windmills.
De Zwaan remained in the hemp business for decades.
In 1739, the nearly 100-year-old windmill was restored by its owners and
was retrofit with grinding machinery. Unfortunately, it burned
to the ground from a lightning strike on May 27, 1761. It was then
that construction began on the De Zwaan that still stands today.
Although the windmill enjoyed many more decades of successful business,
the owners sold their shares and disbanded the company in 1865.
The windmill and its machinery were sold two years later; the mill
served its remaining time in Krommenie as a storage shed.
If the facts hold true, then the windmill was slowly deconstructed,
relocated, and reconstructed by a new owner, P. Van Schaijk, in Vinkel
between 1884 and 1887. It is generally agreed that the Vinkel
windmill was relocated from another location because it was not new
construction; however, the origins of the windmill are unclear.
Because of its architectural style and beard, many argue it was from
Dordrecht (including the grandson of Van Schaijk), while some argue it
is the windmill from Krommenie.
Van Schaijk reconstructed De Zwaan as a thatch-covered grist beltmolen.
Because the internal machinery was sold by the previous owners, it is
likely that De Zwaan contains parts from the windmill Nooit Gedacht
(Never Thought) that was disassembled in 1883 (those parts were
originally constructed around 1800). The rebuilt De Zwaan operated
as a successful grist mill until World War II. De Zwaan suffered
extensive damage and could no longer be operated.
Holland, Michigan residents Willard Wichers and Carter Brown had the
idea of erecting an authentic Dutch windmill to celebrate the town’s
heritage. But rather than commission construction of a new
windmill, they sought to purchase an existing Dutch windmill.
Of the over 9,000 windmills that once operated throughout the
Netherlands, fewer than 1,000 were still operable after World War II.
Dutch law prohibits the sale or demolition of any windmill, as they are
now regarded as national landmarks. De Zwaan was an exception:
because it sustained such heavy damage and was on the brink of
destruction, it was allowed to be sold and relocated to by special
permit.
The windmill was disassembled in 1964 and erected atop a three-story
brick base on Windmill Island. At the time, the island was
undeveloped and surrounded by marshes. Construction of the
windmill included landscaping to beautify the grounds and construction
of museum buildings. By 1965, De Zwaan was again turning in the
breeze to grind grain.
Its metal sail stocks, which were replaced in 2005, now sit on the
ground so that visitors can see how they are riddled with bullet holes
from World War II. There have been many additions to Windmill
Island, which now includes gift shops, restaurants, dancers, a carousel,
and a Dutch drawbridge. Weddings are now held on the grounds, and
there are many opportunities for interesting photographs.
Sources
- Dutch Windmill Database (www.molendatabase.nl) #3182 and #1837
-cutaway diagram and history pamphlet from Windmill Island
-personal records / observations
