There are less of the old style windmills gracing the landscape around my area. Some that I used to take pictures of are now gone, but most in my area were the Aermotor windmill, with the name proudly stamped on the tail. I didn’t realize Aermotor Windmill has continuously manufactured windmills since 1888 and is the only windmill manufacturer still left in the USA.
The Aermotor only sold dozen windmills the first year and was called mockingly by competitors as the new “mathematical” windmill. But the new “mathematical” windmill incorporated principles learned from previous experiments and had great lifting power due to the back gearing which allowed the wheel to make about 3 revolutions for each stroke.
By 1892, Aermotor sold 20,000 windmills and the “mathematical” windmill’s image had changed from a joke to a true necessity and was on its way to becoming the dominant windmill dotting the landscape.
Mass production helped lower the price and enclosed gear case introduced in 1915 reduced maintenance to once a year instead of weekly.
Aermotor’s founder, La Verne Noyes, donated nearly two and one half million dollars in 1918 to establish scholarships at many colleges and universities for veterans of the World War. These scholarships are still available today.
After Noyes died in 1919, the company was left to a trust and over the years, was acquired by different companies and moving the manufacturing site to different states, until it settled in San Angelo, Texas in 1986..
I know this windmill is older than I am since it still has Chicago stamped on the tail by the name, but even if it’s old, I love looking at them since I love old, rustic things (except when it is my old, creaky body).
Aermotor Windmill
