Retired Blacksmith Built A Working Windmill Farm

Retired Blacksmith Built A Working Windmill Farm FARM HOME Novelty Items Terry Rodman says he went a little overboard when his wife Kris asked him to put up a small windmill for their yard in the 1990’s but he’s glad he did Instead of buying a lawn-size windmill he used his blacksmith and carpentry skills to build one more than 40 ft tall “If we’re going to have a windmill it might as well be full size ” Rodman says That project started his “windmill fever” that’s continued for three decades His collection has grown to more than 40 full-size working windmills that are erected around his yard Another 50 or so are piled across the road awaiting his refurbishing skills Rodman says every one of his windmills holds special meaning and he’s happy to share stories with people who stop in to see them His collection holds a rare scooped blade Iron Turbine an all-metal device built in the early 1900’s that he acquired as a pile of scrap from a fence line on a California farm After hauling it home he rebuilt it to like-new condition That same treatment went into a wooden model with the brand name Bright and a patent date of 1880 on the tail Rodman located it on a windmill junk pile in southwest Texas and completely restored it He believes it’s the only one in existence While many of his windmills were made in the USA which at one time had more than 300 manufacturers his collection has a strong international theme He imported one model from the Netherlands after seeing it there while he and his wife traveled to her native country Others are from China Argentina Brazil Mexico Canada South Africa and Australia He wanted one from Spain but couldn’t arrange shipment so he built a replica from pictures Every windmill in Rodman’s collection has a working fan that spins in the breeze some providing the familiar sound of metal scratching metal as pump arms move up and down “Some people restore tractors cars farm equipment and other things but I find this more to my liking ” Rodman says It also lets him meet a lot of interesting people because they stop in to see his handiwork firsthand Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Terry Rodman 165 40th Ave Jasper Minn 56144

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