Boyd's Windmill facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Boyd's Windmill |
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| Origin | ||||||||||||||
| Mill name | Boyd's Mill | |||||||||||||
| Mill location | Middletown, RI | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 41°30′03″N 71°16′11″W / 41.5007°N 71.2696°W | |||||||||||||
| Operator(s) | Middletown Historical Society | |||||||||||||
| Year built | 1810 | |||||||||||||
| Information | ||||||||||||||
| Purpose | Corn mill | |||||||||||||
| Type | Smock mill | |||||||||||||
| Storeys | Three-story smock | |||||||||||||
| Base storeys | A few courses of brick | |||||||||||||
| Smock sides | Eight sides | |||||||||||||
| No. of sails | Eight sails | |||||||||||||
| Type of sails | Common sails | |||||||||||||
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Boyd's Windmill, also known as Boyd's Wind Grist Mill, is a very old and important windmill. You can find it in Paradise Valley Park in Middletown, Rhode Island. This special building is a type of windmill called a smock mill.
A smock mill looks a bit like a farmer's smock (a loose shirt). It has a wide base that gets narrower towards the top. This design helps it catch the wind.
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What is Boyd's Windmill?
Boyd's Windmill was built in 1810 by John Peterson. It was first located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. William Boyd bought the windmill in 1815.
The mill is made of wood and has eight sides. It stands about 30 feet (9 meters) tall. At the top, it has a part that can turn to face the wind.
How the Windmill Worked
Originally, the windmill had four large "common sails." These sails were like big frames covered with canvas sheets. The wind would push these sails, making them turn. Later, four more sails were added, making a total of eight.
Inside the mill, there are two large grinding stones made of granite. These stones were used to grind corn into flour. The top stone spins very fast, six times for every one turn of the mill's main shaft. This helped to grind the corn efficiently.
In 1916, Benjamin Boyd changed how the mill worked. He took off the wind sails and used a gasoline engine instead. This made the mill work even when there was no wind.
A Special Landmark
Boyd's Windmill is very important because it's one of only two old windmills left on Aquidneck Island. Long ago, there were more than thirty windmills there! This makes Boyd's Windmill a rare and valuable piece of history.
You can even see Boyd's Mill on the official town seal of Middletown. This shows how important it is to the town's history and identity.
Visiting the Windmill
The Middletown Historical Society received the windmill as a gift in 1990. They carefully moved it to Paradise Valley Park in Middletown. After that, they worked hard to restore it, making it look and work like it used to.
Today, Boyd's Windmill is open for people to visit. You can usually go inside on Sunday afternoons during July, August, and September. It's a great way to learn about how people used wind power a long time ago.
National Recognition
Because of its historical importance, Boyd's Windmill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. This is a list of places in the United States that are important to history.
See also
