windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...
at 3015 Bronson Road in
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...
. Built in 1893-94, it is the only surviving windmill in the town, ouf a number that once dotted the landscape. It was built for Frederic Bronson, owner of the local estate. The mill was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1971.
Description and history
The Bronson Windmill stands on the west side of Bronson Road, opposite the Fairfield Country Day School. It is an octagonal structure about in height, with a base about in diameter. Its framing is
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
pine, and it is anchored to the ground by locust beams set into the ground, which are fastened to the frame by iron rods. The sides, which telescope inward as the structure rises, are dotted with rectangular window openings. The sides are covered in wooden shingles, and rise to a cornice and domed roof, which is surmounted by a directional wind vane in the shape of a rooster. The blades of the mill are stored within the building. The mill was used to draw water into a cistern located below ground. and
The mill was built in 1893-94 for
Frederic Bronson
Frederic D. Bronson, Jr. (July 20, 1851 – March 29, 1900) was a prominent American lawyer during the Gilded Age in New York City.
Early life
Bronson was born on July 20, 1851 in New York City. He was the son of Frederic Bronson (1802–1868), ...
to provide water for use on his large dairy farm, and is the only windmill in Fairfield (out of many that once dotted its landscape). It was built by the Corcoran Storm-Defying Windmills Company of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.
See also
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfield County, Connecticut
__NOTOC__
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The locations of National Register properties and districts for which t ...