History of the Original Yorktown Windmill
Built in 1711 by William Buckner, the Yorktown Windmill was a guidepost on the York River for nearly two centuries. After retiring from his post as Surveyor General of Virginia, Buckner purchased the pointed bluff just above Yorktown from John Lewis of Gloucester for the express purpose of building a mill to grind corn. Although Buckner died only five years later, the mill continued to provide most of the flour for York County throughout the 18th and 19th Centuries.
Although the mill was never photographed, there are a number of paintings, engravings and sketches that show the windmill and its location through the years. The first of these is a painting entitled, "A View of the Town of York Virginia from the River" which was painted by Lt. Thomas Davies, an officer on the H.M.S. Success during its voyage to Nova Scotia and Virginia from 1754-1756.
Perhaps the best known depiction of the windmill is in the painting by James and Charles Peale entitled "Washington and his Generals at Yorktown". Painted in 1784, the image is a depiction of the Commanders following the siege of Yorktown. While the windmill is not the central focus of the painting, its inclusion here demonstrates that the mill survived in the original location from its construction in 1711 through the end of the American Revolution.
A depiction of the Yorktown Windmill in decline is portrayed in the image entitled, "View of Yorktown, from the Old Windmill, as You Approach from Williamsburg." A hand-colored wood engraving, this image was published in 1848 by Robert Sears as part of his collection, "A New and Popular Pictorial Description of the United States."
A Yorktown Landmark
During both the American Revolution and the American Civil War, Yorktown took the center stage of history during key campaigns. Military and logistical maps from both periods show the Yorktown Windmill as a landmark. Research conducted during the reconstruction of the Yorktown Windmill, suggests that it may have relocated across Windmill Creek in the early 1800s.
The Reconstructed Windmill
Plans to reconstruct the Yorktown Windmill began in 2008 during discussion between engineer Walt Akers and Superintendent Dan Smith of Colonial National Historical Park. The design seen here is derived from surviving paintings of the original mill, examination of research from the Historic American Building Survey and site visits to nearly a dozen surviving American windmills from the 18th and 19th centuries. The reconstructed windmill stands less than 100 yards from where the original windmill was built.
This fully functional replica was built in Seaford, Virginia by more than 100 volunteers over the course of three years. Each of their names is engraved on a commemorative stone plaque that is mounted inside the mill. In the fall of 2011, the windmill was disassembled and relocated to this site in time for the 300th anniversary of the construction of the original. The Yorktown Windmill, named "Miss Evelyn" for the designer wife, was dedicated on October 19th, 2011.
The Yorktown Windmill remains on permanent loan from the Akers? Family to the Watermen Museum.
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