Oklahoma Town Honors Windmills

Oklahoma Town Honors Windmills ENERGY Miscellaneous Without windmills settlers in Shattuck Okla wouldn’t have survived so it is fitting that the town has a windmill museum and that it will host the 2020 International Windmillers Trade Fair June 10-12 2020 “We are in a semi-arid area with very few streams and springs So windmills were vital to the area ” says Sue Schoenhals one of the volunteer board members for the museum Besides providing water to settlers windmills pumped water for trains with steam engines Located on a couple of acres of city property on the corner of Highways 283 and 15 the outdoor part of the museum with 40 windmills is open to the public year round The gift shop and museum with 14 rare windmills and other displays are open from April through November Run completely by volunteers they offer guided tours through the museum a dugout home and a pioneer farmhouse Windmill enthusiasts will find a variety of wood and metal windmill models from a 5-ft Star Zephyr to an 18-ft Samson There are also a couple of homemade water drilling rigs and a water wheel A Halladay Standard Kirkwood Freeman and Imperial are among the mills protected inside a building at the park The idea for the museum started when Phillis Ballew returned home to Shattuck and had a 10-ft Eclipse windmill placed in her yard She and her husband Dan teamed up with Marvin Stinson a windmill collector and restorer who wanted to share his collection With support from the Shattuck community pop 1 300 the Shattuck Windmill Museum was founded in 1994 Though most of the founders are now deceased volunteers keep the museum going Schoenhals says Each September they get help from windmill enthusiasts from other parts of the U S who come for a work week to paint fix and do maintenance on the windmills and buildings “Our goal is to maintain the history ” Schoenhals says And when visitors come they also discover Shattuck is a very friendly town on the edge of Oklahoma’s panhandle Museum/gift shop hours are 10 a m -4 p m April-November The museum is free but donations are welcome for the non-profit Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Shattuck Windmill Museum P O Box 227 Shattuck Okla 73858 ph 580 938-5291 or 580 938-5146; Facebook: Shattuck Windmill Park and Museum

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