Challenge Company, Batavia, Illinois

This is a famous Challenge Windmill from Batavia's Riverfront, which has the actual factory--defunct since the 1940's--in the background.  Batavia is Windmill City.  Another windmill (not the one in my photos) was donated to Batavia this past summer. Local newspaper article below:

July 10, 2010: The Batavia Historical Society has donated a fourth windmill to the city of Batavia.

The city council accepted the gift Tuesday night, the same night it heard a presentation by a new business about using wind power in the 21st century.

Batavia, whose logo features a windmill and whose unofficial motto is "the city of energy," housed several windmill manufacturers from the mid-1800s to shortly after World War II. Retired city worker Bob Popeck has located and restored Batavia-made windmills for many years.

The windmill, made by the Batavia Windmill Co., will be placed on the parkway on the northern edge of the Batavia Government Center, which is the former home of the windmill-making Appleton Manufacturing Co.

The other three windmills are in what is called Windmill Court, on the west side of the government center, near the Batavia Riverwalk. City staff recommended the new one not be placed there for several reasons, including that underground water sprinkler and electrical lines would have to be moved and the foundation altered.

Popeck and his fellow volunteers are writing a maintenance manual for the other city-owned windmills on the campus, so that in their absence, information will be available about the mechanics of the windmills, what kind of maintenance they need and how to repair them. When lacking lubrication, they've been known to squeak loud enough to distract employees in the government center.

Challenge Windmill and Feed Co., U.S. Wind Engine and Pump Co. and Appleton were the three biggest makers of the machines that powered water pumps around the world. There were three other, smaller manufacturers.

Their blades spin, but they don't pump water.

Meanwhile, city officials were pleased to hear about a new business in town, New Edison Energy. The company provides energy audits, and wind and solar energy products.