Antique Cast Iron Elgin Windmill Weight Chicken, Hummer. Raised “Hummer” on tail feathers, with original base, this was made for Elgin Wind Power & Pump Company, Eglin, Illinois. This weight came from Dahals Rhone Collection. There is a photo of Dahals with some of his collection in the book Windmill Weights by Milt Simpson. (this book was published in 1985) This weight weighs 45lbs, measures 17 ” Height and 17 1/2″ length. The base is 4 1/2″ thick. Circa 1900.
A windmill weight is a heavy cast-iron counterbalance used on late 19th and early 20th-century “vaneless” water-pumping windmills to keep the blades facing into the wind. Today, these weights are highly prized as iconic pieces of American folk art and agriculture history.
