The Lenig Windmill also rises ...

Lucas County Historical Society board member Jim Secor decided on a traditional tool Wednesday when he began the next step in returning the museum's Lenig Windmill to its normal upright position --- a simple tool for a major engineering project.

The historical society has quite a few small artifacts that have remained in more or less the same place for 50 years or so. But the windmill, one of our largest, has moved twice since it arrived from its original location on the Lenig farm in north Chariton several years ago as a gift of the family.

It was erected originally south of the Pioneer Barn, but badly damaged in a storm during 2008. Ron Christiansen took the windmill to his shop northwest of town, repaired it and designed and manufactured an innovative hinged base, mounted on steel legs in concrete pilings, to support it.

Trees had grown very tall near the barn by 2010 when the time came to re-erect it, obscuring the original location, so it was relocated on the downslope west of the barn, clearly visible from both the museum patio and to drivers on West Court Avenue, south of the museum campus.

Then two years ago, we decided to install a loop of paved trail, handicap-friendly, to connect the upper museum campus with the Bill Marner Blacksmith Shop, located down the hill. Unfortunately, the windmill was standing directly in the path that trail had to take.

So the windmill was lowered, the head removed to storage in the back of the blacksmith shop and the legs on the structure's base cut loose so that concrete could be poured directly over the old mounting pilings.

Earlier this year, Jim took the hinged base back to Ron who removed the stubs of the original legs and welded new legs on to it. Jim began the task this week --- the challenging old-fashioned way --- of digging holes for the new concrete pilings.

Once the base is in place, the windmill structure will be moved and reattached to it, the head re-installed and the reassembled mill will be lifted into place by our friends at Alliant Energy and bolted securely. 

And then, when Dan Montgomery and his family visit the museum campus, we will no longer have to advise them to shield their eyes to avoid seeing their family heirloom flat on its back rather than standing upright and proud --- thanks to Jim and others who are working together on the project.