Vintage Windmill and Wind Generator Forum

I can not imagine a "barn find " of a new wooden windmillstill in the origional crate , absolutly once in a lifetime !
Wayne , when you go there be sure to share the photo .

I will. J.B. Buchanan started collecting and saving way before it became the thing to do. I think Dr.Baker wrote a story in about him in the Windmiller's Gazette. I'll have to look at my index.

RE: mtblah » Sun Feb 12, 2023 11:20 am

The best almost Barn Find, I ever never got, was this fellow I visited with every year at an annual event. He was from just outside Ottawa Kansas and for 20 years he would tell me about the two Ottawa windmills his dad had bought but never put up ad how they were in a barn he owned, just as brought home. We haggled and talked every year but he was never ready to sell until about 2010 and he told me he was ready to let them go but wanted to talk it over with the family. I thought fair enough, the next year he didn't show at the usual deal, I called and his wife said he had passed away just after I had seen him the year before, she sold the barn and the new owner had it all scooped up and taken to the county landfill. So there is my new in crate windmill story.

There's a guy in Stafford NY that has a IXL solid wood wheel windmill still in the crate.

sad stories , those mills should be up and flying , or in public so many can see in origional condition , history my opinion ,

I got to thinking and may be wrong where the windmill Buchanan found in the crate is. I think it is in the Smithstonian in D.C. There is one at Canyon also.

I have a Monitor Model L wooden wheel in the original shipping crate that I got on an estate farm auction several years ago. It came with original shipping tags, a roll of furling wire and the pitman arm attached to the crate. It also came with an interesting story; it was shipped to the Fort Dodge Branch Office. I spoke with the gentleman that had worked there and he stated he remembered unloading it off the truck. A farmer had come in wanting to buy a new wheel for his windmill. He was told they were no longer available. The branch manager said that he thought he had seen one in the rafters at the factory in Evansville, called up there and was told yep there is one. They shipped it to Fort Dodge; farmer came in to pick it up.........it was not/is not painted. Farmer insisted they paint it white; they told him no if he wanted it, he would have to paint it himself. Took it home put it in the shed and never touched it. I tried to buy the windmill later but was not successful.
Gregg

Neat story! Thanks!