This work has been contracted out to Møllebygger Petersen ApS (MP), a Danish millbuilding firm that specializes in mill reconstruction and restoration. One of their lead technicians, Erik Batenburg, visited Elk Horn in September 2023 to conduct a thorough inspection of our mill and formulate a plan for the work needed. Erik already took measurements of our current stones and has placed an order at a quarry in the Netherlands where our new set will be made. 

In 2025, we received an HRDP grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa towards purchasing a new set of millstones! This has allowed us to order a new set of millstones. They are currently in production. MP will store them for us while they work on building the housing and hardware needed to use them.

Want to see what our new stones will look like? In 2025, we added a replica of a basalt millstone to the bottom floor of the windmill. It is actual size, has the same amount of furrows, and breaks down the science of how the two stones work together to move and grind grain. 

The replica is designed as a runner stone. It is approximately 46.5 inches in diameter with a thickness of over 10 inches. Thankfully it doesn't weigh quite as much as the real thing! 

The Project

This project involves adding plates of red copper over the exposed timbers of the fantail, specifically around places where parts of the frame enter into the cap at the roofline and on any flat surfaces water can sit. Beyond the physical protection from rain and snow, the copper adds a layer of chemical protection, ensuring the wooden frame does not rot prematurely. 

We received a $2,000 grant from the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills (SPOOM) towards this project in 2025. We anticipate having this project completed in 2026. It was originally bid at $8,000, but tariffs on copper might have since caused the total cost to increase. 

The completion of this project will ensure we are able to preserve the structural integrity of the fantail as long as possible. With having only just replaced the fantail in 2018, it is critical that we get as many decades out of the current frame as we can before it needs to be replaced. 

The Project

Windmills always have multiple doors on the second floor to get to the gallery where the controls are. This is because as the wind changes direction, sometimes the wings will find themselves spinning directly in front of one of the doorways, rendering it unsafe to pass during operation. 

While the windmill had two doorways in Nørre Snede, it was only built with one in Elk Horn. To make matters worse, the door faces directly south, where most of our wind comes from in the warmer months. 

Fixing this requires some work. We will need to cut the concrete for an opening on the north wall. At the same time, we will widen the opening on the south wall. Then we will install new doors for both which will be designed based on authentic designs currently used by windmills in Denmark such as Uldum. MP can either fabricate the doors for us, or provide designs so that we can have the doors made locally. 

Pictured on the left is one of the doorways in Dybbøl Mølle. 

NEW FLOOR

The Project

The current flooring on the second floor is 1970s plywood. While a relic in its own right, it doesn't quite match how a mill would look. Parts of the floor will have to be redone for the new stones, and if there is a time to make any changes, it is during the transition between sets of stones. 

The plan is to swap the plywood with unfinished tongue-and-groove hardwood of either oak or maple. This will give the entire floor a more authentic look and also remove the current trip hazard where the plywood was double layered around the current millstones. 

This will also give us an opportunity to widen the sack hoist opening to its proper size, but we may or may not do this depending on how much room we have. Most mills don't have a grand staircase to the second floor in the way, but that's one modern luxury we aren't letting go of anytime soon! 

Pictured above is the grinding floor at Dybbøl Mølle. Pictured below that is the current plywood of our own grinding floor. 

RETIRE CURRENT STONES

The Project

The current millstones we have will be retired in preparation for the new stones to be installed. The original set will be displayed in a new exhibit which will allow visitors to examine the stones and how they work more closely, while the new set of stones can be covered and protected from visitors during tours. 

While the second floor might not even seem large enough for a second set of stones, the reality is that mills like ours always had multiple sets. Ours had four working stone cores prior to its last fire in 1943. Having a second core or kvaern on the second floor gives the mill a more authentic feel. At the same time, have a set of stones people can touch and feel will be a great addition to our current exhibit space in the mill. 

Finally, having both concrete and basalt millstones in the same space offers us an opportunity to educate visitors on the differences between both types and the advantages of going with basalt for our new set. 

Pictured here is our current set of stones including the hardware and wooden housing. The housing will be replaced along with the stones, allowing us to turn this setup into a full exhibit that visitors will be able to interact with more closely. 

NEW MILLSTONES