Site of the Great Western Windmill
Introduction
User Uploaded Audio
Listen to a narration of this entry's description by Amy Folk.
Text-to-speech Audio
Along the south side of Main Road in Southold is actually the second site of the Great Western Windmill. The mill, which no longer stands was originally built for use along the Hudson River in New Jersey. When the building stood in the way of a railroad construction project it was sold, disassembled and moved to Southold.
Images
Backstory and Context
User Uploaded Audio
Listen to a narration of this entry's description by Amy Folk.
Text-to-speech Audio
The Great Western Windmill was built by Isaac Edge (1777-1851), who immigrated from England to New Jersey in 1801. Familiar with English style mills, Edge had all the components of a windmill shipped to him from Derbyshire, England in 1815. He erected the mill in Paulus Hoeck, New Jersey alongside the Hudson River. The mill was taken down in 1839 to make way for a railroad station. It was then transported to Southold where it was rebuilt as a replacement for the Dominy windmill. It was last operated by Pierre Rene Villefeu (?-1915) in Southold until it was destroyed by fire on June 25th, 1870.
Sources
Bailey, Paul. "Historic Long Island." Long Islander, September 7, 1961: 2.
—. "Historic Long Island." Suffolk County News, August 10, 1961: 9.
Long Island Traveler - Mattituck Watchman. "Mill Erected in 1795 Burns at Southold." September 19, 1946: 15.
Markers, Committee for the Guide to Historic. Guide to Historic Markers. Southold, New York: Southold Historical Society, 1960.
Town of Southold Historians Files