About us
The Kendallville Windmill Museum and Historical Society was incorporated in 1992 under the auspices of the Kendallville Local Development Corporation. C. Russell Baker, and his fellow society members, envisioned a tourist attraction to:
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Collect, display, and preserve
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Educate and build awareness
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Tell the story of wind power from its origination through the American windmill to the present day
The Mid-America Windmill Museum was created to fulfill that purpose. The museum is governed by an all-volunteer, 21-member Board of Directors who are elected by dues-paying members of the Kendallville Windmill Museum and Historical Society. The Board of
Directors elects museum officers.
More than 50 American, water-pumping windmills have been restored and are on display in the museum barn and on the grounds seen via a graveled walking path.
One highlight of the museum is a replica of the Robertson Post Windmill, a single stone wooden grist mill with a 52-foot diameter wind wheel. The original Robertson Post was shipped from England and erected on the James River near Jamestown, Virginia in the 1620’s.
The Mid-America Windmill Museum is the only museum to have on display all eleven models of windmills that the Flint & Walling Company manufactured from 1870 to the mid 1950’s. The “Original Star” patented in the 1870’s and sold for 40 years is on display in the historic Klinger barn.
The museum is also home to the Model #37 Star Zephyr, the last windmill manufactured by Flint & Walling. It was introduced in 1937 and continued in production until 1954, the year Flint &Walling ceased windmill production.
In 1866, Flint and Walling began operations on the corner of Mitchell and Oak streets in Kendallville, Indiana. When first established, the company built hand-operated water pumps and windmills. The company still operates in Kendallville today, producing submersible pumps, centrigula pumps, and booster pumps. The company employs, on average, 150 people. In 2016, the company celebrated 150 years of operations at its original downtown Kendallville location.