De Zwaan (windmill) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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De Zwaan Windmill
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 Location in Michigan
Location in the United States
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| Location | Windmill Island Gardens, 1 Lincoln Ave., Holland, Michigan |
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| Built | 1761 |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002333 |
| Added to NRHP | April 17, 2018 |
De Zwaan is a real Dutch windmill located in Holland, Michigan. Its name means 'The Swan' or 'Graceful Bird' in Dutch. This windmill is very special because it's the oldest working Dutch windmill in the whole United States! You can find it in Windmill Island park.
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Bringing a Dutch Windmill to America
In the 1960s, people in Holland, Michigan, wanted to honor their city's Dutch history. Willard Wichers and Carter Brown started a project to bring a real Dutch windmill to the United States. This was a big challenge because many windmills in the Netherlands were damaged during World War II. The Dutch government had even stopped selling them outside the country.
Finding De Zwaan
Wichers and his team found a damaged windmill named De Zwaan. It had been working in Vinkel, Netherlands, since 1884. Three local groups couldn't agree on what to do with the damaged mill. So, the Dutch government decided to sell it to Wichers for $2,800. De Zwaan became the very last windmill to leave the Netherlands.
Building the Windmill in Holland
In October 1964, De Zwaan arrived by ship in Muskegon, Michigan. It was then moved by truck to Windmill Island in Holland. It took about six months to put the windmill back together. The city built a tall base for it, like its original design in Krommenie, Netherlands. In April 1965, the 125-foot (38 m) tall windmill was officially opened. It stands on Windmill Island, a 36-acre (14.6 ha) area that used to be a swamp.
How De Zwaan Works
De Zwaan is open from late April to early October. When the wind blows strongly, usually 15 to 20 miles per hour (6.7 to 8.9 m/s) from the west, its huge 80-foot (24 m) wide blades start turning.
The True Story of De Zwaan
In 2015, Holland, Michigan, celebrated De Zwaan's 50th anniversary. For this event, Alisa Crawford, who is the windmill's miller and historian, wrote a book about De Zwaan. She is the only Dutch-certified miller in the United States.
Discovering the Windmill's Past
While researching for her book, Alisa Crawford found out something surprising. The De Zwaan windmill that came to Holland, Michigan, was actually built in 1833 in Dordrecht, Netherlands. It was first used as a sawmill. In 1884, it was changed to run on steam power. Its old parts, like the body and blades, were no longer needed.
A Mix of Parts
The Van Schayk family bought these parts and moved them to Vinkel. They also bought pieces from another mill, possibly one called Nooitgedacht, which was taken apart in 1883. This means De Zwaan is a "hybrid" mill, made from parts of two or three different windmills.
Alisa Crawford explained that this mix of parts makes De Zwaan truly "authentic." Windmills are like working machines. When they break, they get fixed. When parts wear out, they are replaced. If they become old-fashioned, they are used for new purposes. This is how windmills have always been.
A Historic Landmark
After her book was published, Alisa Crawford wrote the official request to add De Zwaan to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical sites in the United States. The windmill was officially added to the list in 2018.
State Historic Marker
In 2019, the City of Holland put up a State Historic Marker at De Zwaan. One side of the marker tells the story of how the windmill came to Holland. It explains that Willard C. Wichers worked for three years to get permission from the Dutch government. He found the damaged De Zwaan in Vinkel, which had been built in 1884 using parts from older mills. The Dutch government allowed the sale but required a Dutch millwright, Jan D. Medendorp, to oversee its move and repair.
See also
Images for kids
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One of the two millstones from De Zwaan.
