BLYTHEWOOD – The last windmill in downtown Blythewood was erected circa 1920 in the backyard of Durham Boney’s home on Oakhurst Road. Last Saturday, the now inoperable 70-foot tall, 105-or-so-year-old windmill was moved to the back yard of the Langford-Nord house, the home of the Blythewood Historical Society & Museum, where it is scheduled to be renovated over the next year and where, hopefully, its blades will whir once again, pumping water from the ground.
Durham Boney lived from 1887 to 1940. When the home burned to the ground in the mid-1950’s, the windmill survived. In the late 1950’s, a new brick home was built on the lot. Today that home is owned by John Miles, an engineer.
The windmill’s move was prompted about two months ago when Miles notified the Historical Society that he wished to donate the windmill to the Historical Society’s outdoor museum at the Langford-Nord House.
After conducting considerable research on how to move a windmill, Jim McLean, a founding member of the Historical Society, learned that the windmill was made by the Aermotor Company and installed by T. M. Haynes. According to the Aermotor Company’s website, it is still in business in the United States today and ships windmills worldwide.
Biggest Concern
“Our biggest concern,” McLean says, “was, of course, that it had to be moved over the top of John’s house, and then we had to get it from his house to the Langford-Nord house. It took a lot of planning in that regard, to get the thing moved.”
The Historical Society contacted Bruce Miller, a recognized windmill authority, with The Southeast Windmill Company in Rome GA, to assess the situation and, ultimately, to move the windmill.
“Because of the heavy traffic on Main Street (Hwy. 21) and the size of the tower, we decided to put the move off until after school dismissed for the summer,” McLean said.
“In April, Miller arrived in Blythewood where he spent hours assessing the windmill and calculating the move,” McLean said. “We didn’t want any of the parts to fall off and hit John’s roof as it passed over the top of his house.
Miller returned on June 6 with a giant crane for a final assessment and partial disassembly of the tower. On Saturday, June 7, the crane slowly lifted the windmill frame over Miles’ home and then onto a trailer, and delivered the windmill to the Historical Society’s property.
Estimated cost: $30K – $35K
“The project will take a year to complete and will cost $10,000 for the move and $20,000 – $25,000 to repair the windmill and return it to working order,” McLean said, “so we’re going to have to raise the funds before Mr. Miller can begin the repairs.”
Once the repairs are finished, Miller will have anchors and concrete footings in the ground to support and stabilize the tower. And a barrel will be placed in the circle at the top of the tower to act as a reservoir for the pumped water as it did in the windmill’s glory days, according to McLean.
“Our goal is for the historic windmill to not be just an ornament, but a working windmill. There is an existing water well in the back yard of the Langford-Nord house and the windmill will be placed over it. It will operate just as it did in the 1920’s. The plan is for it to be an educational tool to help students and adults learn about the history and early residents of the town,” McLean said.
To make a financial donation to support the restoration of the windmill, go to blythewoodhistoricalsociety.com or call 803-333-8133.
