Fischer Windmill

History of Fischer Windmill by https://www.illinoiswindmills.org/fischer-windmill

Facing Northeast to the entrance of Mount Emblem Cemetery is the Fischer Windmill, the oldest standing custom windmill in Illinois. Now beautifully adorned by planned landscaping—including Lake Emblem, evergreens, and lilac bushes—it is hard to imagine that this was once a thriving farm.

Johann Frederick L. Fischer owned almost three hundred acres of land across DuPage and Cook counties. Before his death, he left his son, Henry Frederick Fischer, with the land in DuPage County. The land was not part of any municipality at that time; in fact, it wasn’t until 1981 that the City of Elmhurst annexed the land.

Henry began mill construction around the end of the Civil War in 1865. As an interesting side note, the Graue Mill was erected by Henry’s brothers-in-law, William Asche and Frederick Graue. The mill itself was not made from local timber; rather, its parts were prefabricated to Henry's specifications and shipped to Elmhurst from Holland in pieces (similar to the method used in constructing De Immigrant in Fulton).

Asked to aid with the construction of the mill were: Christian Heidemann, whose own mill in Addison would later be based on Fischer's design; and Henry Korthauer, a cabinet maker from Bensenville. It took nearly three years to build because of changes to the design during its construction.

The hand-crafted mill features cypress beams resting upon a two-story foundation of stone and brick. The gears are made of hickory and white oak; the great spur wheel, located on the third floor, took six months to complete. The mill was originally fitted with white pine sails spanning 74 feet, making it one of the largest in the state.

Technologically speaking, the mill is very advanced: it features grain elevators; a fly-ball governor to tenter the grinding stones; an auxiliary drive system; “shakers” that tap grain into the stones; the latest wheat-cleaning and corn-shelling machines; and a spiral conveyor.

The east shipping wing was built into the mill to house the large wheat bolter, which separated fine flour from more coarse bran. During construction or shortly after completion, a north wing with wide double-doors was added for receiving wagonloads of grain. The grain was then placed onto a cart which rode along tracks in the floor to the center of the mill.

The mill began grinding with two run-of-stone (one for wheat, one for corn) by 1867, capable of grinding 40 barrels per day. Not long thereafter, a west wing was constructed to house a 25-horsepower wood-burning steam engine to drive the machinery on calm days. A small building just south of the east wing was built around 1875 and likely served as an office, but it does not appear in photographs taken after 1886.

In 1877, Henry sold the mill and ten acres to Edward Ehlers for $10,000. Henry moved his family to Oregon where, three years later, he sold another 21 acres to Edward. Henry used the money to purchase a water mill capable of 50 barrels per day.

It is likely that wheat grinding stopped around 1894 when production moved further West into Kansas and Nebraska. The steam engine in the west wing was removed in 1910 and its space was used for storage. The mill probably stopped grinding corn between 1912 and 1916 when Edward Ehlers passed away.

Additional Information from https://www.illinoiswindmills.org/fischer-windmill

520 E Grand Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126

Status: Closed.

Tours: You may tour the grounds, but the mill is closed to the public.

Hours: Mount Emblem Cemetery is open daily from dawn to dusk.

Wheelchair Accessible: No access.

Tower Height: 51'

Sail Span: 74' (Original); 50' (Current)

Uses: (1867 - 1894?) Wheat, (1867 - 1916?) Corn, (1936 - present) Bell Tower

Constructed: (1865 - 1867) Original, (1925 - 1926) Restoration, (2015) Renovation

Millwrights: Henry Frederick Fischer (Original), Christian Heidemann (Original),

Henry Korthauer (Original), Henry Ehlers (1925 Restoration), Franklyn Ehlers (1925 Restoration)

[unnamed contractor] (2015 Renovation)

Owners: Henry Frederick Fischer (1867 - 1877), Edward Ehlers (1877 - 1916),

Caroline Ehlers (1916 - 1925), Mount Emblem Cemetery (1925 - present)

Sources

• Vierling, Philip E. The Fischer Windmill. Chicago: Illinois Country Outdoor Guides, 1994.
• The History of the Old Dutch Mill. Mount Emblem Cemetery.
• Pirola, Louis. Historic American Buildings Survey. Heideman Mill, Addison IL. Chicago: HABS, 1934.
• “Windward ho!” Addison Press. 26 June 1998.
• DuPage County Clerk land and tax records, 1850—1926
• Advertisement. Cook County Herald. 2 November 1926
• 1874 Combination Atlas of DuPage County
• Photographs of the Bensenville Public Library
• Photographs of the Elmhurst Historical Society
• Oral history of Ernestine Ehlers Hackmeister
• Map of Mount Emblem Cemetery
• Personal records / observations

Historic Photographs by https://www.illinoiswindmills.org/fischer-windmill