Windmill

Estimated to have been erected in the late 1800s, this windmill provided fresh water to the house. A long rod connected the top of the windmill to a large well underneath. As the wind blew, the windmill rotated and the rod moved up and down to pump water through a pipe along the yard. The water traveled through this long pipe into a cistern underneath the house, where it was stored for future use. It could be extracted through a hand pump in the kitchen and used within the household. The windmill is no longer in operation.

Burke, Virginia · United States