Vermeer Windmill
When you visit us at the Vermeer Windmill, you're visiting one of the tallest working windmills in North America!
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Designed and built by Lukas Verbij in Hoogmade, the Netherlands, the mill was de-assembled, shipped to Iowa, and re-assembled here in Pella in 2002.
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Named after the Harry and Bernice Vermeer family, whose dream it was to have a mill in Pella, the Vermeer Mill is an 1850s-style "koren mill" or grain mill. Almost every small town in the Netherlands has a mill at its center; this is our nod to Pella's agricultural past.
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When you visit the Vermeer Windmill, you'll tour five floors, from the base of the mill where grain would have been brought in, to the top floor where grain is milled. Take in the giant blades and the superb view of Pella from the deck!
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During our open season, take a tour Monday through Friday at 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, or 2:30pm, or Saturdays at 10:30am, 11:30am, or 1:30pm (2:30pm tour added for April 13, 20, & 27).
Quick Facts
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Height: The windmill is 124 ft.- 6 in. tall (from the ground to the top of the highest sail), making it the tallest working windmill in North America.
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Base: The base of the mill is 32 feet in diameter and 40 feet high.
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Bricks: There are 29,969 bricks on the outside of the base, laid in a Dutch-bond pattern to match mills in the Netherlands.
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Foundation: Concrete caissons go down 27 feet for a firm foundation.
The tour of the Vermeer Windmill also includes a stop at the Miniature Village. The Miniature Village began in 1938 as a work study project for students at Pella's community schools and Central College. Many volunteers have since spent countless hours working on it. It depicts life in the Netherlands in the 1840s, portraying all four seasons. The Miniature Village is full of detail; it's not to be missed!
