Fairfield's Bronson Windmill

Fairfield, Conn. (WTNH) - Standing at around 100 feet tall and located along Bronson Road, Fairfield's Bronson Windmill was built back in 1894.

"Most people just see the base and sometimes wonder, so when you go by you have to kind of slow down and pull over and get out and take a look," said Walter Matis of the Fairfield Museum and History Center .

Wind power ran a pump to move water up from a 75 foot well to a storage tank about 70 feet above in the tower. Talk about sturdy construction -- the full storage tank weighed the equivalent of two elephants.

The water was then piped across the street to the Bronson Estate. Location is key.

"It's high up here in Fairfield, so it was high up on a hill, good breeze, and it would turn and that turning motion would actually operate the pump," he explained.

Operation continued through the 1930's. It's now on the National Register of Historic Places , added in 1971. Preservation is a team effort.

"It is taken care of by the Town of Fairfield, It is managed by the Fairfield Museum and History Center. Together we collaborate on keeping it up and maintaining it."

Especially considering the tower's new 'high-tech' role over one hundred years after being built.

"It is used as a cell tower," Matis said. "It actually has power the goes up. There are special tiles on the roof that allow the transmissions to pass in and out but they still look like the traditional tiles."

Old engineering and design that could teach us a thing or two about using and developing new ways of wind power in the future.

For More Information:

Library of Congress images of Bronson Windmill - www.loc.gov

The Fairfield Museum and History Center is located at 370 Beach Road, and it's open every day. For more information on exhibits and research hours visit fairfieldhs.org