Thursday, October 9, 2014

The Old Windmill {Restoring the Lefere Mansion}


Along with the fabulous house, there sits on this property the most picturesque windmill around.  Most people do not even know it is here because of the huge overgrown pine trees that hide it from view.
Beautiful as the above picture makes this look, it was a bit of a mess as you can see in the next picture.
In order to get inside, one had to balance on top of several old wood beams that had fallen down, and old picket fencing, all covered in weeds and vines.


So last month when my parents came, mom brought her chainsaw (she asked for it for Mother's Day!) and we went to work pulling vines, cutting, and clearing.  

Here is a before and after of what a few days of muscle and itching poison ivy did:



We were fortunate to receive some newspaper articles, some professional photos, and a large map from the previous owners when we bought the place this summer.   We learned that the arms were actually imported from Holland, and that Mr Miner was quite ready for a fire!  Here are some old newspaper clips about the windmill from the Jackson Citizen Patriot and the Parma News:




There is a staircase that hugs the wall and winds around to where the outside railing used to be.


My adventurous Mom decided it would be easier to get at the vines from this angle. :)



Our buddy Luke decided to check and see if there was still any water in the five story concrete tank that was inside the structure and he and the Hubby, who scoff at heights, climbed to the top and peeked in.  Inside it was..... nothing!

He got docked pay for playing since he was on the job.  And a swift kick in the pants from the boss (me).  Not really.


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6 comments:

  1. I am in awe that you have an actual wind mill on your property!!!!

    Mary @ Orphans With Makeup

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  2. I loved this post, such an amazing piece of history! The articles were super fun to read, I love this kind of stuff how lucky you are to OWN it! I suppose it is lucky too, because you will make sure it stays wonderful!

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  3. Wow a windmill! So great the previous owners supplied you with it's history. What a courageous undertaking. Good luck!

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  4. That is the coolest thing ever. Are you going to restore it? Can you actually use the inside for anything, like a studio?

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  5. Yes, I am curious too....what are your plans for this terrific structure? A studio, a shop to sell antiques and wares on your property? A playhouse? Do you have to restore according to any state requirements? How in the world do you heat that big house?

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