Mill Record Fairfield
RETURN TO ‘FIND MILLS’Disclaimer: Content for these properties was compiled in 2014-2017 from a variety of sources and is subject to change. Updates are occasionally made under Property Information, however the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation (dba Preservation Connecticut) makes no representation or warranty that the information is complete or up-to-date.
- Complex Name (Common)
- Bronson Windmill
- Complex Name (Historic)
-
- Bronson Windmill
- Verna Hill
- Address or Location
- 3015 Bronson Rd., Fairfield
- County
- Fairfield
- Historic Designation
- Associated Mill Community
- n/a
- Historic Information
Use (Historic)
- Other: Power generation
Largest Documented Workforce
n/a
Historic Narrative
For historical significance see National Register nomination: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/71000896.pdf
- Architectural Information
Number of Existing Buildings
1
Dates of Construction
1893-1894
Architect
n/a
Builder
n/a
Building Type
n/a
Architectural Description
For description see National Register nomination: http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/71000896.pdf Made of hemlock, the windmill stands 105 feet high to the top of the wheel. It was designed to pump water from a well 75 feet below ground level using a screw device powered by teams of horses. Wind power pumped water into the 7,500-gallon wooden storage tank 70 feet up inside the windmill. When full, the tank weighed over 31 tons. Today the restored windmill is also an active cell phone tower. The windmill’s bell crown has been re-clad with faux-wooden material made to look like the original shingles and allows for transmission of the wireless signals (Greenfield Hill VIS).
Exterior Material(s)
Structural System(s)
Roof Form
- Other: Polygonal hip
Roof Material
Power Source
Condition
Good
Condition Notes
n/a
- Property Information
-
Specific Location
On the campus of Fairfield Country Day School, Bronson Road, Fairfield.
Individually listed on the National Register in 1971.Adjacent To
n/a
Exterior Visible from Public Road?
Yes
Parcel ID / Assessor Record Link
n/a
Acreage
n/a
Use (Present)
n/a
- Sources
-
Form Completed By
n/a
Date
n/a
Bibliography
- Roth, Matthew, et al, Connecticut: An Inventory of Historic Engineering and Industrial Sites (Washington DC: SIA, 1981).
- Bly, William B., III. 1971. Bronson Windmill National Register Nomination No. 71000896.
- Greenfield Hill Village Improvement Society web site: Accessed 12/28/2016 at:.
- Bronson Windmill website, Greenfield Hill Village Improvement Society website.
- Historic Barns of Connecticut survey record. 2011.
- Historic American Engineering Survey documentation.
- Representative View(s)Click on image to view full file
