Custom Windmills
Little Chute Windmill
and Van Asten Visitor Center
127 E. Main Street (office)
Little Chute, WI 54140
Status
Under construction
Tours
TBA upon completion
Hours
TBA upon completion
Wheelchair Accessible
Ground and stage levels
Website
Tower Height
TBA upon completion
Sail Span
TBA upon completion
Uses
(TBA) Wheat
(TBA) Corn
Constructed
(2011 - present)
Millwright
Lucas Verbij
Owner
Little Chute, WI (2011 - present)
Drawing of the Little Chute Windmill and Van Asten Visitor Center
Drawing from Little Chute Windmill, Inc.
by Thomas Miron
History
The town of Little Chute, situated along the Fox River southwest of
Green Bay, is known for its strong Dutch culture; but this small town is
not well-known as a tourist area. The construction of a new
windmill and visitor center, however, aims to revitalize the town and
encourage commercial growth. There was talk of constructing an
operating windmill for several years, but in 2006 the 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization was established accumulate donations and gifts
toward the mill’s construction. Before long, plans also included a
visitor center that would provide a home for historical society and an
elevator to access the stage of the mill.
In 2008, sufficient funds were raised to order the windmill through
Verbij Hoogmade, BV. Lucas Verbij is the fourth-generation
millwright who also restored the Fabyan Windmill and the cap of the
Murphy Windmill, among other projects. The new windmill will be based
on an 1850s design, operating on a single run-of-stone with a sack
hoist. The cap can be luffed using a tail-pole and winch system,
and the mill will also be partially handicapped-accessible (in fact, it
will be one of only two mills in the country with elevators to the
stage).
The windmill pieces were constructed over the next two years, but the
project was put on hold until more funds were raised. With great
fanfare, the windmill broke ground on Tuesday, August 16, 2011.
The remaining funds still must be raised in order to complete windmill
and the visitor center.
Visit the Little Chute Windmill online to donate to the construction
fund.
Source
-Little Chute Windmill, Inc. website (www.littlechutewindmill.org)
