Volunteers to repair windmill

By Douglas Farmer
Turley Publications Staff Writer

BRIMFIELD - Much like its elevated wheel adjacent to Route 20 in Brimfield that has spun for over a century, the fascination of local historians continues to revolve around the windmill now under repair. And thanks to the diligence of Brimfield resident and carpenter Lee Santella and Suzanne Collins, owner of the Apple Barn & Café and a member of the town’s historical commission, the steadily deteriorating wooden windmill will stand proudly once again.
Though the wheel is currently in Santella’s shop, he said he hopes to reinforce the entire building with carbon fiber, which would be rot resistant. Santella participated in a similar repair job in the mid-1990s (though it didn’t encompass the whole structure at that time), and has been soliciting area businesses for assistance.
Santella has estimated the full repair and reconstruction work at around $47,000 and Collins has been in the process of filling out a 20-page application to establish a nonprofit organization that can collect money on the project’s behalf.
The wheel itself was removed in recent weeks with the aid of a bucket truck provided by David Leighton Tree Service in Brimfield.
“Back when I did the millwork for the wheel in 1996, a lot of stuff was in good shape, and my daughter Nicole cleaned up the area as part of her confirmation project,” said Santella, noting that his daughter is now 30. “But now a lot of the oak structure is in need of work and it’s hard to stage a building like that. I hope we can find the original drawings to keep it as accurate as possible, and there’s no shortage of talent or skilled labor in our area.”
The wooden structure was originally built between 1850 and 1885, as a means to pump water from the nearby brook to a house owned by the Wyles-Converse family.
According to information and news clippings on file at the Brimfield Public Library, the 29-foot tall building and 16-foot wheel were originally constructed in Beloit, Wis. and they pumped water into tanks in the home nearby. After many years of disuse, it was brought back to working condition by owner Charles Robinson. But the sails and rudder were damaged in the infamous hurricane of 1938 and the foundation was damaged by the flood that swept into the region in 1955.
In the meantime, the windmill was purchased by Walter Swift in 1950, who then sold it to the local Catholic diocese, who governed nearby St. Christopher’s Church in 1952 for $23,000. The pastor of the church and his parishioners engaged in their own restoration project back in 1968, and a correspondence dated that year between Rev. Thomas Ferguson and the Brimfield Historical Society requested a donation of $100.
A historic marker was placed on the site in 1976.
And news articles from the more recent renovation project in 1996 noted that all 72 wooden blades in the wheel were expected to be replaced. Koren “Kitty” Lowenthal, a member of the historical commission in those days, remembers the project.
“The windmill belonged to the parsonage but fortunately the Catholic church was very committed to St. Christopher’s and St. Christopher’s was very committed to the project,” she said. And Santella said the home served by the windmill is thought to be the first in town with some semblance of indoor plumbing.
“This has truly been a community effort,” said Collins. “I first got onto the historical commission because of this project, and I hope even more people get on board with us.”