Windmill Donated to Redman House
BY JON CHOWN
The project to restore the Redman-Hirahara House is like a puzzle, and members of the Redman Foundation gathered another piece to it Thursday when they picked up a historic windmill, donated by Paul and Billie Schriver of Las Lomas.The windmill, an old Aermotor, made in Chicago, is in pieces and looks sort of like a puzzle itself.
It was behind a shed, mixed up with old railroad artifacts on the Schrivers’ property. Now, it is in a pile on the floor of Dean Coley’s Architectural Design millwork shop on Lee Road. "You’re going to have fun with this one," said Paul Schriver as Geoff Scurfield, president of the Redman Foundation, finished loading the parts in his truck.
The windmill had previously been owned by Billie Schriver’s uncle, Jack Smith, and it rested on his ranch along Highway 68 near Laguna Seca. When he died 15 years ago, it became the possession of his niece. Broken down into more than a dozen pieces, Scurfield said it was hard to gauge how large it was, but possibly as tall as 30 feet. "It’s a beauty," Scurfield said, while gathering up the pieces.
Billie has watched and read about what is happening at the Redman-Hirahara house and thought it would be a good home for the windmill, which needs restoring itself. "All I ever wanted was to see this thing standing upright," said Billie. "I read in the newspaper they were going to restore that house — and it needs a windmill. I didn’t know if they were looking for one or not, but I thought I’d offer it. I don’t see us ever putting it up."
Aermotor is the most common of American windmills, the Aermotor Windmill first began manufacturing windmills in 1888 and business really took off in 1915 when the company introduced an auto-oiled windmill with an enclosed gear case, in which all the working parts were continuously bathed in oil. This design reduced maintenance to only once a year rather than once a week. Many thousands of them remain in service, providing water to this day.
The Redman Foundation’s Aermotor was built sometime after 1915 and before 1958, when the company’s headquarters moved from Chicago.
"This is just a wonderful donation. We were looking for a windmill for the Redman House." said Karell Reader of the Redman Foundation. "Now we just need a tank house to go with it."
The project to restore the Redman-Hirahara House is like a puzzle, and members of the Redman Foundation gathered another piece to it Thursday when they picked up a historic windmill, donated by Paul and Billie Schriver of Las Lomas.The windmill, an old Aermotor, made in Chicago, is in pieces and looks sort of like a puzzle itself.
It was behind a shed, mixed up with old railroad artifacts on the Schrivers’ property. Now, it is in a pile on the floor of Dean Coley’s Architectural Design millwork shop on Lee Road. "You’re going to have fun with this one," said Paul Schriver as Geoff Scurfield, president of the Redman Foundation, finished loading the parts in his truck.
The windmill had previously been owned by Billie Schriver’s uncle, Jack Smith, and it rested on his ranch along Highway 68 near Laguna Seca. When he died 15 years ago, it became the possession of his niece. Broken down into more than a dozen pieces, Scurfield said it was hard to gauge how large it was, but possibly as tall as 30 feet. "It’s a beauty," Scurfield said, while gathering up the pieces.
Billie has watched and read about what is happening at the Redman-Hirahara house and thought it would be a good home for the windmill, which needs restoring itself. "All I ever wanted was to see this thing standing upright," said Billie. "I read in the newspaper they were going to restore that house — and it needs a windmill. I didn’t know if they were looking for one or not, but I thought I’d offer it. I don’t see us ever putting it up."
Aermotor is the most common of American windmills, the Aermotor Windmill first began manufacturing windmills in 1888 and business really took off in 1915 when the company introduced an auto-oiled windmill with an enclosed gear case, in which all the working parts were continuously bathed in oil. This design reduced maintenance to only once a year rather than once a week. Many thousands of them remain in service, providing water to this day.
The Redman Foundation’s Aermotor was built sometime after 1915 and before 1958, when the company’s headquarters moved from Chicago.
"This is just a wonderful donation. We were looking for a windmill for the Redman House." said Karell Reader of the Redman Foundation. "Now we just need a tank house to go with it."
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