Hayground Windmill


Hayground Windmill is an historic windmill at Windmill Lane in East Hampton Village, New York. It was moved from Hayground to East Hampton in the 1950s.

Early History

The windmill was built in 1809 and was added to the National Historic Register in 1978.
Still retaining its internal machinery, this windmill is unusual for Long Island, in that it has a fantail to turn the sails into the wind. The Hayground Windmill, in 1984, was one of eleven surviving 18th and early 19th century wind-powered gristmills on Long Island
It was also the busiest, turning out more bushels than nearby windmills. Open seasonally, it operated 4 months of the year, turning out in 1870 800 bushels of wheat, 800 of oats and 400 of corn.
It was in Haye Ground, an early part of Bridgehampton on the main Montauk Highway going to Watermill. The Hayground Windmill stood on the old triangular commons at the center of the village of Hayground, midway between Bridgehampton and Water Hill. This was the only mill in Hayground through the 19th century and serviced the village and surrounding countryside. The mill operated into the 20th century; by 1912 it was grinding just corn and feed during the summer months-. In its last year of operation the Hayground Mill was the only windmill on Long Island still running.
After 1919 the mill was used variously as a tea room and artist's studio. In 1950 Robert Dowling purchased the windmill and moved it to his estate on the dunes in East Hampton where it was a decorative motif.

1950's move

In 1950 it was purchased by Robert Dowling and he moved it to his estate on the dunes by ox cart. Many of the east end windmills were moved in this fashion, they were first dis-assembled and moved to where stones were set to perch them on, later on these stones were replaced by foundations.

Gallery