A group of volunteers on Friday repaired the blade at The Mill Museum in Lincoln, Illinois, that broke off during high winds a few months ago.
High winds in December snapped off one of the faux blades of the windmill structure of the former Route 66 restaurant. According to the National Weather Service, gusts of more than 50 mph had been measured that day.
The crew that repaired the blade are, from left, Mike of Joliet, Illinois, Glen of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, John Weiss of the Illinois Route 66 Association, Kaylee and Morgan of Logan County Tourism, Leroy from Cornland, Illinois, and Richard of Lincoln.
The blades of The Mill initially were restored more than 10 years ago by Weiss’ preservation crew with the Illinois Route 66 Association.
The reopening of The Mill in 2017 as a museum capped a decade-long effort to restore the Route 66 landmark. Geoff Ladd in 2006 saw the potential of a long-neglected and awful-looking property, marshaled local forces to save it from condemnation and helped raise $90,000 to renovate it.
The Mill, which featured a Dutch-inspired design and a turning windmill, opened on U.S. 66 in 1929. The Mill remains a member of the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame as a business.
The windmill part of the building always was strictly decorative. No operating windmill ever was there.
(Images courtesy of Geoff Ladd)