Seppman Mill
Encyclopedia
The Seppman Mill is a former windmill
in Minneopa State Park
, Minnesota
, USA. It was built by Louis Seppmann, a German immigrant, between 1862 and 1864 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places
. The sails and internal machinery have been removed.
, Germany in 1835 and emigrated to the United States at age 17. He settled in Blue Earth County, Minnesota
, five years later, in 1857. He made his living as a stonemason
. In 1862 he used his earnings to begin constructing a wind-powered gristmill
on his own land. Seppmann was only somewhat familiar with windmills from his homeland, but drew on his "considerable natural talent for mechanics and invention."
Seppmann, with help from some fellow masons, built the first 10 feet (3 m) of the walls before being interrupted by financial difficulties and the outbreak of the Dakota War of 1862
. He resumed work the next summer, joined now by neighbor Herman Hegley. Using a ramp and a wheelbarrow to convey material up the growing structure, they finished construction in 1864. Seppmann carved most of the wooden machinery himself with an axe, except for two metal cog wheels and the millstone
s, which had to be purchased from St. Louis for $600.
was still raging, grain was quite expensive and the bank charged him 25% interest in advance for his loan. Seppmann also needed to hire an expert to start up the mill and show him how to operate it. However there was no wind for four or five weeks and the expert eventually gave up and went home. The first light wind didn't blow until a Sunday, but Seppmann was opposed to working on the Sabbath
until his partner Hegley convinced him that if God had provided the first wind in over a month on a Sunday it must be okay.
However without the expert's help, Seppmann and Hegley immediately clogged the millstone. Thinking more speed would help, they put on full sail. Instead the rising wind set the arms spinning so fast the operators couldn't stop it. The wooden parts grew so hot that the windmill was in danger of catching fire. Meanwhile a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside, eager to see Seppmann's curiosity finally in operation and surprised that it seemed to be running so fast it might tear itself apart. In desperation Seppmann tossed something into the gears, but it shattered and a piece was flung away with such force that it shot a hole through the rim of Seppmann's hat. At last Seppmann and Hegley were able to unfurl some of the sails and halt the mill. Ultimately they learned that the clog was due to poor dressing of the millstones and after making improvements, including a better brake, were operational by late September.
s of wheat in a day, producing fairly good quality flour
. Farmers came from as far 30 miles (48.3 km) away to have their grain milled. In 1866 Seppmann married and bought out his partner Hegley, giving shares instead to his new in-laws. The Seppmanns initially lived in a small stone house next to the windmill, which was converted to a warehouse in the 1870s after they moved to a new home.
Lightning
struck the mill in June of 1873 and blasted off two of the arms. Seppmann replaced them, but seven years later a tornado
knocked off two arms again. By then technological advances and competition from other mills made it unprofitable to repair. Seppmann continued to operate the mill with the two surviving arms, making animal feed. Finally a storm in 1890 damaged the remaining arms and Seppmann ceased operations.
The mill site was originally separated from the state park by over a mile and public access was difficult. The Minnesota State Highway Department built a parking area off Highway 68
in the mid-1950s. In the late 1960s Seppmann heirs and other landowners sold the intervening land to the state so the park could be expanded into one contiguous property. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
spent $65,000 carrying out repairs to the mill and reconstructing the warehouse. The mill's exterior was repaired, interior structures refurbished, doors and windows replaced, and the roof reshingled.
The internal mechanisms have been dismantled, and neither the mill nor the warehouse interiors are open to the public. Park managers hope someday to restore the machinery and the arms.
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
in Minneopa State Park
Minneopa State Park
Minneopa State Park is a state park in Minnesota, USA. The park is located on the Minnesota River west of Mankato. It was established in 1905 to preserve Minneopa Falls, the largest waterfall in southern Minnesota, which had already been a popular visitor attraction since the 1850s. Minneopa is...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, USA. It was built by Louis Seppmann, a German immigrant, between 1862 and 1864 and is now on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. The sails and internal machinery have been removed.
Construction
Seppmann was born in WestphaliaWestphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, Germany in 1835 and emigrated to the United States at age 17. He settled in Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County, Minnesota
Blue Earth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 64,013. Its county seat is Mankato.Blue Earth County is part of the Mankato–North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, five years later, in 1857. He made his living as a stonemason
Stonemasonry
The craft of stonemasonry has existed since the dawn of civilization - creating buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone from the earth. These materials have been used to construct many of the long-lasting, ancient monuments, artifacts, cathedrals, and cities in a wide variety of cultures...
. In 1862 he used his earnings to begin constructing a wind-powered gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
on his own land. Seppmann was only somewhat familiar with windmills from his homeland, but drew on his "considerable natural talent for mechanics and invention."
Seppmann, with help from some fellow masons, built the first 10 feet (3 m) of the walls before being interrupted by financial difficulties and the outbreak of the Dakota War of 1862
Dakota War of 1862
The Dakota War of 1862, also known as the Sioux Uprising, was an armed conflict between the United States and several bands of the eastern Sioux. It began on August 17, 1862, along the Minnesota River in southwest Minnesota...
. He resumed work the next summer, joined now by neighbor Herman Hegley. Using a ramp and a wheelbarrow to convey material up the growing structure, they finished construction in 1864. Seppmann carved most of the wooden machinery himself with an axe, except for two metal cog wheels and the millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s, which had to be purchased from St. Louis for $600.
Physical description
The stone walls are 32 feet (9.8 m) high and conical. At the base the diameter is 30 feet (9.1 m) and the walls are 2 foot (0.6096 m) thick, but taper to 20 feet (6.1 m) across and 6 inches (15.2 cm) thick at the top. The mill is capped with a wooden dome that could be pivoted on a track to catch the prevailing winds. There was a small platform on the outside of the dome where the miller liked to sit and smoke his pipe. The wooden arms, covered with sailcloth, spanned 72 feet (21.9 m). The mill had five floors, though some were very short and only held machinery.Starting the mill
Seppmann was not a farmer, so to test the finished mill he had to borrow money and buy grain. As the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
was still raging, grain was quite expensive and the bank charged him 25% interest in advance for his loan. Seppmann also needed to hire an expert to start up the mill and show him how to operate it. However there was no wind for four or five weeks and the expert eventually gave up and went home. The first light wind didn't blow until a Sunday, but Seppmann was opposed to working on the Sabbath
Biblical Sabbath
Sabbath in the Bible is usually a weekly day of rest and time of worship. The Sabbath is first mentioned in the Genesis creation narrative. The seventh day is there set aside as a day of rest—the Sabbath. It is observed differently in Judaism and Christianity and informs a similar occasion in...
until his partner Hegley convinced him that if God had provided the first wind in over a month on a Sunday it must be okay.
However without the expert's help, Seppmann and Hegley immediately clogged the millstone. Thinking more speed would help, they put on full sail. Instead the rising wind set the arms spinning so fast the operators couldn't stop it. The wooden parts grew so hot that the windmill was in danger of catching fire. Meanwhile a crowd of onlookers had gathered outside, eager to see Seppmann's curiosity finally in operation and surprised that it seemed to be running so fast it might tear itself apart. In desperation Seppmann tossed something into the gears, but it shattered and a piece was flung away with such force that it shot a hole through the rim of Seppmann's hat. At last Seppmann and Hegley were able to unfurl some of the sails and halt the mill. Ultimately they learned that the clog was due to poor dressing of the millstones and after making improvements, including a better brake, were operational by late September.
Operation
In a good wind the mill could grind 150 bushelBushel
A bushel is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 4 pecks or 8 gallons. It is used for volumes of dry commodities , most often in agriculture...
s of wheat in a day, producing fairly good quality flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
. Farmers came from as far 30 miles (48.3 km) away to have their grain milled. In 1866 Seppmann married and bought out his partner Hegley, giving shares instead to his new in-laws. The Seppmanns initially lived in a small stone house next to the windmill, which was converted to a warehouse in the 1870s after they moved to a new home.
Lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
struck the mill in June of 1873 and blasted off two of the arms. Seppmann replaced them, but seven years later a tornado
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
knocked off two arms again. By then technological advances and competition from other mills made it unprofitable to repair. Seppmann continued to operate the mill with the two surviving arms, making animal feed. Finally a storm in 1890 damaged the remaining arms and Seppmann ceased operations.
Later history
Over the next 40 years the mill deteriorated and the warehouse was torn down entirely. In 1929 Louis Seppmann's son Albert donated the windmill to be added to Minneopa State Park. The Blue Earth County Historical Society conducted repairs before the 1.24 acre (0.50181064 ha) parcel was transferred to the state in 1931.The mill site was originally separated from the state park by over a mile and public access was difficult. The Minnesota State Highway Department built a parking area off Highway 68
Minnesota State Highway 68
Minnesota State Highway 68 is a highway in southwest and south-central Minnesota, which runs from South Dakota Highway 22 at the South Dakota state line near Canby, and continues east to its eastern terminus at its intersection with U.S...
in the mid-1950s. In the late 1960s Seppmann heirs and other landowners sold the intervening land to the state so the park could be expanded into one contiguous property. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is the agency of the U.S. state of Minnesota charged with conserving and managing the state's natural resources. The agency maintains areas such as state parks, state forests, recreational trails, and recreation areas as well as managing minerals,...
spent $65,000 carrying out repairs to the mill and reconstructing the warehouse. The mill's exterior was repaired, interior structures refurbished, doors and windows replaced, and the roof reshingled.
The internal mechanisms have been dismantled, and neither the mill nor the warehouse interiors are open to the public. Park managers hope someday to restore the machinery and the arms.