Westhampton Beach Historical Society

Please help the Westhampton Beach Historical Society raise funds to "SAVE THE WINDMILL"

 

This Windmill is steeped in history in Westhampton Beach. Plans are to move the windmill to the Great Lawn, where it will be restored. The address for the Windmill is 15 Sunswyck Lane, Westhampton Beach.

 

Westhampton Beach has previously been referred to as the 'Windmill Town,' as referenced in Historical Sketches of Westhampton Beach. This was due to the number of windmills located in the village, primarily used for pumping water for agriculture, livestock and household purposes, rather than milling corn or wheat or sawing timber. The windmill also survived the Hurricane of 1938, in which most structures around it were destroyed.

 

The windmill was originally constructed on property owned by New York Gov. John Adams Dix, where he built his house and accessory buildings in 1870. Dix, born in 1798, served as governor of New York from 1872 to 1874.

 

There are 11 restored early windmills on Long Island, but none that pumped water. This windmill would be the only one on the east end of Long Island that was specifically used for this purpose.

 

To preserve this iconic piece of history, known as the Gov. John Adams Dix Windmill, moving it to the village-owned property located at 35 Great Lawn, Westhampton Beach, the Westhampton Beach Historical Society can continue its mission of preserving this historical structure for educational programs and exhibitions.

 

 

The mission of The Westhampton Beach Historical Society is to: