Dutch Mill
Why it's listed
Rising sixty-eight feet in Fabyan Park Forest Preserve near Batavia, Illinois, this Dutch smock windmill was built around 1860 on York Road in DuPage County. In a smock mill, only the cap holding the wind shaft turns to face the wind. Colonel George Fabyan, a wealthy Geneva merchant, inventor and cryptographer, bought it in poor condition on October 15, 1914, for $8,000 and spent about $70,000 moving and restoring it. The shingled exterior has small dormers, and the interior is oak, cypress and black walnut, joined with glued wooden dowels instead of nails. Roman numerals carved into the larger timbers guided reassembly. Grain was ground by wind power here as late as 1920. The mill is valued as a rare example of wooden windmill construction in a country that usually milled grain with water power, and as one of few American follies, a structure built to enhance a landscape. Today the fan is fixed in place and the mill does not operate.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as an example of the rare art of wooden windmill construction and as a Dutch-type grist mill, uncommon in a country where grain was usually milled by water power. Its interior and exterior features interest students of technology and architecture. It is also one of few American follies, and one of few in Illinois.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 79000843, listed June 4, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N of Batavia off IL 25, Batavia |
|---|---|
| County | Kane County |
| Listed | June 4, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79000843 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Dutch smock mill |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in good, unaltered condition; the fan blades and bracing mechanism are fixed in place, so the mill does not operate. It is kept locked but can be opened on request. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 41.87153, -88.30546 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 79000843.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5428280
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.