{"nrhp_refnum":"78000421","name":"Chatham Windmill","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Chase Park, Shattuck Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chatham","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.67633412200007,"lon":-69.95874731199996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story octagonal wooden windmill built in 1797 and now located in Chase Park, on a small hill above Mill Pond in southeastern Chatham, Massachusetts. It was built by Col. Benjamin Godfrey and moved to its present site in 1955.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the few surviving wind-powered grist mills in operating condition. It was Chatham's principal grist mill throughout the 19th century. It remains in working order as a town museum with a miller who grinds corn.","narrative":"Chatham Windmill is a three-story, octagonal, shingle-sheathed grist mill with a rotating cap, set in Chase Park on a small hill above Mill Pond. Colonel Benjamin Godfrey built it in 1797, and his family owned it until the end of the Civil War. It served as Chatham's principal grist mill through the 19th century and stayed in use despite storm damage in 1907 and 1929. Much of the original fabric survives, though gears and other wearing parts have been replaced over time, and restorations in 1956 and 1977 conserved as much original material as possible. In 1955 Stuart Crocker donated the mill to the Town of Chatham, and it was moved from its original site on Stage Harbor to its present location. Today the town operates it as a museum and employs a miller who still grinds corn. It was recognized as one of the few surviving wind-powered grist mills in working condition.","period_of_significance":"1700-1799, 1800-1899","architect_builder":"Col. Benjamin Godfrey","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Excellent condition; owned by the Town of Chatham, maintained as a museum with a miller who continues to grind corn. Restored in 1956 and 1977.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.588537-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/98/7940/63794098/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/78000421.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000421/cf11354f5e-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000421/cf11354f5e-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jerry Johnson","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Chatham_Windmill.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jerry Johnson</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Chatham_Windmill.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63794098","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatham_Windmill","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5087710"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/chatham-windmill-78000421/"}