As with any museum there are
always certain aspects and facts that are unknown. The missing information is
what keeps historians striving to learn as much as possible. Recently, the
Kregel Windmill Factory Museum was able to fill in one piece of information
about the history of the windmills made here.
A visitor came through for a tour a while back because he happened to own the vane from a Kregel windmill...and not just any vane. The vane that he owned wasn't the usual "ELI" brand vane we are used to. It was actually a vane from one of the original wooden windmills the Kregel Windmill Co. produced. The wooden vane pictured above is very likely the only one of its kind still in existence.
During approximately the first five years of being in business the Kregels produced around 16 all wooden windmills. With wooden wheels, vanes, and towers these mills were very susceptible to the weather and it was not expected that any pieces of the original 16 still existed. We now know that at least one piece of these rare and historic windmills exists and is intact in good hands.
A visitor came through for a tour a while back because he happened to own the vane from a Kregel windmill...and not just any vane. The vane that he owned wasn't the usual "ELI" brand vane we are used to. It was actually a vane from one of the original wooden windmills the Kregel Windmill Co. produced. The wooden vane pictured above is very likely the only one of its kind still in existence.
During approximately the first five years of being in business the Kregels produced around 16 all wooden windmills. With wooden wheels, vanes, and towers these mills were very susceptible to the weather and it was not expected that any pieces of the original 16 still existed. We now know that at least one piece of these rare and historic windmills exists and is intact in good hands.
