The oldest functioning mill in the United States is right here on Nantucket. Built in 1746 by Nathan Wilbur, an island sailor who had spent time in Holland, beams from shipwrecks that had washed ashore were used for much of the framework. The mill changed hands a few times in the 19th century before being donated to the Nantucket Historical Association in 1897. Today it is operated as a museum and visitors can watch gears inside grinding corn into meal. The mill is 50 feet high and each of the four vanes is 30 feet in length. The windmill is only open seasonally, but visitors can walk around it at any time.
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Nantucket's Windmill
The oldest functioning mill in the United States is right here on Nantucket. Built in 1746 by Nathan Wilbur, an island sailor who had spent time in Holland, beams from shipwrecks that had washed ashore were used for much of the framework. The mill changed hands a few times in the 19th century before being donated to the Nantucket Historical Association in 1897. Today it is operated as a museum and visitors can watch gears inside grinding corn into meal. The mill is 50 feet high and each of the four vanes is 30 feet in length. The windmill is only open seasonally, but visitors can walk around it at any time.
