List of windmills in Rhode Island facts for kids
This is a list of traditional windmills you can find in the American state of Rhode Island. Windmills are amazing structures that use the power of wind to do work, like grinding grain or pumping water. Rhode Island has a rich history with these old machines.
Contents
What is a Windmill?
A windmill is a machine that turns the energy of the wind into useful power. Most traditional windmills have large sails or blades that catch the wind. As the wind pushes these sails, they turn a central shaft, which then powers machinery inside the mill. For hundreds of years, windmills were super important for things like grinding wheat into flour or sawing wood.
Types of Windmills
There are different kinds of windmills, but in Rhode Island, you'll mostly hear about two main types:
- Smock Mill: This type of windmill has a body that looks a bit like a farmer's smock (a loose outer garment). It has a wide base that gets narrower as it goes up, and a cap on top that can turn to face the wind. Most of the windmills in Rhode Island were smock mills.
- Tower Mill: A tower mill has a tall, round, stone or brick tower. Like the smock mill, it has a turning cap with sails on top to catch the wind. The Newport Tower is a famous example, though its original purpose is still a bit of a mystery!
Historic Windmills in Rhode Island
Many windmills in Rhode Island have interesting stories. Some were moved from one town to another, and some were sadly blown down or burned. The dates you see in bold text are the exact years we know the windmills were built. If the date isn't bold, it's the first time we know about that windmill existing.
Block Island Windmills
Block Island once had a few windmills.
- The Harbor Mill was built around 1810. Sadly, a big storm blew it down in 1938.
- The Littlefield Mill was standing in 1900, built in 1877.
- An older smock mill from the 1770s was moved to Block Island around 1810.
Bristol's Moving Mills
The town of Bristol had several smock mills.
- One smock mill, built in 1797, was later moved all the way to Fairhaven, Massachusetts in 1821!
- Another smock mill from the mid-18th century also moved, ending up in Fall River, Massachusetts.
- William Boyd's Mill in Bristol was blown down by a storm in 1815.
East Greenwich Windmills
East Greenwich is home to the famous East Greenwich Mill.
- An earlier smock mill from around 1790 was moved within East Greenwich in 1874.
- The East Greenwich Mill itself was built in 1874. It's a well-known landmark.
Jamestown's Historic Mill
The Jamestown Mill in Jamestown is a very old and important smock mill. It was built in 1787 and is still standing today!
Middletown's Many Mills
Middletown has seen many windmills over the years.
- The Boyd's Mill is a smock mill with a unique story. It was originally built in 1810 as John Peterson's Mill in Portsmouth, then dismantled in 1995 and rebuilt in Middletown in 2001.
- The Prescott Farm Mill is another smock mill in Middletown, built in 1970.
- The Chase Mill was built in 1797 and moved within Middletown around 1855. Later, it was moved again in 1924 to South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
- The Harkness Mill, built in 1845, sadly burned down in November 1905.
- The Boothden Mill, built in 1883, also burned down in the early 20th century.
Newport's Mysterious Tower
Newport is home to the Newport Tower. This unique tower mill was built around 1677. Its exact original purpose is still debated by historians, but it's a fascinating piece of history!
- Another smock mill from Newport was moved to Middletown at some point.
- An even older windmill in Newport, built in 1663, was blown down in 1675.
Portsmouth's Relocated Mills
Portsmouth also had windmills that moved around.
- The Quaker Hill Mill was moved within Portsmouth around 1876.
- The Lehigh Hill Mill was moved from Portsmouth to Middletown in 1970.
- John Peterson's Mill was built in Portsmouth in 1810. As mentioned earlier, it was later taken apart and rebuilt as Boyd's Mill in Middletown in 2001.
Other Rhode Island Windmills
- A smock mill from Tiverton was moved to Newport at an unknown date.
- A smock mill in Warren, built in 1812, was moved to Fall River, Massachusetts at some point.
See also
- Wind power in Rhode Island
