Last Saturday evening was the first in a three part Fall Speaker Series being held here at the museum. This weekend also marked the annual Applejack Festival in Nebraska City, so the museum was packed with visitors throughout the weekend. There were many visitors that braved the crowds on Central Ave. and the heat to come tour the factory on Saturday afternoon. When the evening rolled around the crowds began to wain, yet visitors continued to come through the doors right up until the start of the presentation by Dr. T. Lindsay Baker.
We had a great crowd for the first event of this type that we have held here at the KWFM. There is never anyway to truly know what the reception is going to be like when hosting a new program or event, but we can say without a doubt that last Saturday evening was a definite success; especially for a Husker football Saturday. With the entire front of the museum packed with die-hard windmill fans and interested historians, Dr. Baker gave a wholly engaging lecture on the history of North American windmill manufacturing and how the Kregel Windmill Co. fits into the larger scheme. During his talk, Dr. Baker was able to connect stories and information regarding windmill factories all over the U.S. to the history directly related to what the Kregel's accomplished in their small, Central Ave. factory. Dr. Baker emphasized the intimate correlation between the work the Kregel's were doing and the work being done all over the country in small and large factories alike.
The presentation took on a larger meaning and had a deeper effect for those listening due to it being held amidst the machinery and ephemera being discussed. When the subject of the talk turned to discussion on sheet metal departments in windmill factories, it was pointed out to the audience that, in fact, they were seated in the sheet metal department of the Kregel Windmill Co.; a revelation that resulted in a few raised eyebrows and glances around the factory.
The machinery and factory departments weren't the only subjects being talked about that evening. Descriptions of working environments all over North America gave listeners a glimpse into what life was like for these hard-working men. From fluctuating temperatures and dangerous machinery to poor pay and labor union strikes, the early American windmill factory was a hazardous atmosphere. Through Dr. Baker's presentation the audience was able to have an empathetic connection with the men and women that made America's wind power, and the settlement of the plains, possible.
