Aermotor Windmill

Aermotor Windmill. , With a sucker rod that pumped water from more than 1,000 feet in the earth, Frances Harper Esch remembers that the 1933 combination-outfit Aermotor windmill provided good tasting water that wasn't too hard or too soft. It is a memory from more than 50 years ago when her family tended Stewart P. Wright's farm northeast of downtown Grapevine while he was away in the Air Force., The farm, believed to have been originally owned by pioneer J.P. Solon Dunn, has had a number of owners over the years. It has seen many changes -- from an early prairie homestead, to the 1933 addition of a man-made lake, to conversion in 1985 to a working "party ranch" with more than 100 horses on site. The property, formerly called "Silver Lake Farm" and currently "Wagon Wheel Ranch," generates many memories, all punctuated by the landmark windmill and watertower., In October 1997, however, the skyline of Grapevine changed when the owners of the Aermotor donated it to the Grapevine Heritage Foundation. The vintage "combination-outfit" was disassembled and moved from its home on Ruth Wall Street to a new, more prominent position downtown at the Grapevine Heritage Center., The Gift , Kathy and Robert Brunson love the "Old West" way of life and have spent the past twelve years sharing local heritage with over 125,000 visitors at the four locations of their Wagon Wheel Ranch operation. It was their desire to see a piece of Grape Vine Prairie history live on that prompted Robert to suggest giving the historic windmill to the Grapevine Heritage Foundation. By moving the windmill to the Heritage Center and restoring it, the Brunsons realized that more people could enjoy its beauty and history for years to come., It was Brunson's friendship with City Councilman Jerry Pittman, and Parks and Recreation staff Doug Evans and Joe Moore, which initiated the gift. "Doug and Joe encouraged us to talk to the Foundation about taking the windmill and restoring it, and we were glad we did," the Brunsons stated. "It gives us a great sense of pride to know that it will be a permanent part of the Grapevine skyline., The ca. 1933 Aermotor had stood snuggled next to the Brunson's home. In recent years it was inoperative and became the nesting place for a family of owls. For years the Brunsons enjoyed watching the owls raising their young and teaching them to fly. Ironically, when the decision was made to move the windmill -- two years prior to the actual move date -- the owls left and did not return., The Grant , In November 1996 the historic Aermotor caught the eye of Annette Campbell. She was doing field work with the Grapevine Historic Preservation Commission on a National Register of Historic Places nomination and happened to drive by the Wagon Wheel Ranch. The tour guide remarked that the Ranch owners, Kathy and Robert Brunson, had offered the windmill to the Grapevine Heritage Foundation if the Foundation could move it off the property. But at that time no Foundation funds were available to do so., Campbell and fellow GTE employee Debbie Venable had been long-time volunteers for both the City of Grapevine and the Grapevine Heritage Foundation. By participating in the GTE Volunteer Initiatives Grant Program they had applied for and received several thousand dollars in donations for the Grapevine Heritage Foundation over the years. Campbell, who has an outstanding eye for architecture, design detail, size and scale, served on the Grapevine Historic Preservation Commission. Venable, a real people-person with a love for history, became a festival volunteer and Foundation Board member, as well as a volunteer in the Visitor Information Center. Venable's board service placed her on the Foundation's Heritage Education Committee where she facilitated teacher training and third grade student presentations on local history., "When I learned of the Foundation's opportunity to acquire the windmill, I knew that was where I wanted my GTE funding to go," Campbell said. Venable agreed. By combining their efforts and service hours, they applied for a grant and provided a significant portion of the funds needed to move the windmill. The Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Grapevine Heritage Foundation provided funds to repair, restore and install the vintage piece of equipment. In October 1997 the project was completed., The Equipment , According to windmill expert T. Lindsay Baker, director of the Texas Heritage Museum in Hillsboro, Grapevine's Aermotor windmill/ tank/tower system is a comparatively unusual survivor. "These combinations were typically used for institutions (schools, orphanages, factories, etc.) rather than on farms or for homes," he stated. "The use of comparatively large-diameter windmills mounted atop large overhead water storage tanks provided substantial amounts of water under gravity pressure to meet the needs of industrial, institutional or other users," he explained. Grapevine's Aermotor combination-outfit has a 5,500 gallon tank capacity. Baker confirmed that is is a 702 Model, made from 1933 to 1981, and parts for it are still available from an Aermotor Company licensee in Argentina., A 1927 Aermotor price list from the research files of Mr. Baker states "the auto-oiled Aermotor has gears that are contained in a gear case which holds sufficient oil to keep every part of the mill thoroughly oiled for a year. The gear case is covered by a steel helmet which is rain-proof and oil-tight. Not a drop of oil can escape. It circulates constantly through every bearing while the mill is still operating. The shafts and gears run in oil. This latest Aermotor is extremely sensitive to the lightest breeze. It faces the wind perfectly and is more notably than ever 'the windmill which runs when all others stand still'.", The Move , "The 1933 Aermotor windmill/watertower provides a wonderful anchor to the Heritage Center. It is a significant point of interest for our school children," Venable stated. "Its scale is perfect for the Heritage Center," Campbell added. Without the vision and drive of these two volunteers, the windmill might have been lost. "The move took a little longer to complete than we first thought, but the result was worth the wait," Venable concluded. The Brunsons definitely agreed., In addition to the generosity of Robert and Kathy Brunson, Annette Campbell, Debbie Venable and GTE, the Grapevine Heritage Foundation and Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau, the following individuals were instrumental in moving and restoring the windmill: Doug and Marylee Brawner, Ross Bannister, Rob Reeves, Danny Porter, Greg Reed, Jim White, Davis Crane Service, Inc., Larry Wells Construction, Gary Ray Creative Signs, Tony McCallum, Paul W. McCallum and sons Caleb and Lanham McCallum., Captions: , The GTE Volunteer Initiatives Grant Program enables Debbie Venable (left) and Annette Campbell to help save a Grapevine landmark and change the downtown skyline for generations to come. Photo courtesy Grapevine Sun, Robert and Kathy Brunson, owners of Wagon Wheel Ranch, donate their vintage windmill to the Grapevine Heritage Foundation and share the pleasure of watching it operate with Grapevine's citizens and visitors., On a bright fall day in Ooctober 1997, a powerful crane and skilled volunteers Rob Reeves and Danny Porter complete the installation of the restored windmill at the Grapevine Heritage Center on Main Street., The 12-foot blade span of the 1933 Aermotor overshadow Paul W. McCallum as he paints detailing prior to installation. The slightest breeze transforms its beauty and symmetry to power and energy, adding utility and convenience to Prairie life.