The Spocott Windmill

The Spocott Windmill was built by master boatbuilder Jim Richardson. The post mill is a reconstruction of a windmill built by John Anthony LeCompte Radcliffe about 1852. That mill blew down in a blizzard in March 1888. John’s son, Sen. George L. Radcliffe, always dreamed of reconstructing his father’s mill, and in 1972, his dream became reality.

Windmills have been used for centuries in Western Europe, with the earliest authenticated windmills appearing in the 12th century. The American colonists principally utilized the type of windmills known as "post mills." Such mills were built in New England's exposed coastal areas and on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The early colonists of Dorchester County primarily utilized post mills because of the general flatness of the land. An early historian noted, "We look into Dorchester County, on the flat lands there we see Windmills, such as the Dutch use."

In 1663, Stephen Gary, of Cornwall, England, secured a patent from Lord Baltimore for approximately 250 acres of land on the Little Choptank River. He named this Spocott, which served as his home plantation. After his death, Spocott remained in the family and was subsequently acquired in 1848 by a descendant, John Anthony LeCompte Radcliffe. Shortly after acquiring Spocott, John built a self-contained community consisting of sawmills, blacksmith shops, a shipyard, etc. One of his prime projects was erecting a post mill similar to those used in Dorchester County at the time. This post mill was completed between 1850 and 1852 near an historic Indian trail, and the mill remained in operation until it was blown down in the blizzard of March 1888. The millstones, however, were preserved, as was the original set of stairs, by John’s then 10-year-old son, George, who promised his mother that one day, he would rebuild the mill.

Research has indicated that at least 20 windmills existed in Dorchester County in the late nineteenth century, with four others in the Neck District and the remaining in lower Dorchester County. The remains of the last of these windmills were destroyed in a hurricane in the 1950s. Historically, Dorchester County was one of the last counties on the East Coast where windmills were operated commercially to grind corn.

Over the years, considerable thought had been given to reconstructing a windmill similar to the one also reconstructed in Williamsburg. In 1971, a combination of efforts resulted in such a windmill being erected on Gary's Creek, about 100 feet from the site of the original Spocott Windmill. Senator George L. Radcliffe, the youngest son of John AL Radcliffe, furnished the land. The Trustees of the Walter C. Hill and Family Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia contributed considerable financial assistance through a generous grant. Walter was directly descended from John AL Radcliffe. Senator Radcliffe contributed the original grinding stones and the steps. Perhaps most important, neighbors James B. Richardson and his son-in-law, Thomas A. Howell, Jr., developed the plans and constructed the mill using timber from Spocott woods.

Jim Richardson and Tom Howell were exceptionally qualified for the project because of their extensive expertise in wooden shipbuilding. Jim had renovated canoes and gunboats for the Smithsonian Institution. He had built a 1725 shallop, on display at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum, a 1670 Ketch for the Tricentennial at Charlestown, South Carolina, and a replica of the Dove, one of the two ships that carried Maryland’s earliest settlers to St. Mary’s City in 1634. Jim found the project challenging because almost no one in the country knew how to build a post mill. Even the books he used were in Dutch. He built mill models until he had one that would work. From this, he built the mill we see today.

The Spocott Windmill simulates a colonial windmill very closely, is fully operative, and can grind corn and other grains. Its major components were skillfully fashioned by hand, using traditional shipbuilding tools. The mill resembles a two-story house set on a single central post, which supports the entire mill house. This central post was hand hewn from a 200-year-old white oak tree, four feet in diameter, cut from Spocott woods. The mill, of course, is powered by great canvas sails on wind vanes, which measure 52 feet across. The mill house rotates on the central post to face the wind. The wind-powered sails turn the shaft and handmade wooden gears. The gears then turn the upper millstone over the bed millstone. The estimated weight of the entire structure is more than 10 tons, and the top speed of the mill is 20 turns a minute, which develops approximately 50 horsepower.

The mill was dedicated on August 22, 1972, Senator Radcliffe's 95th birthday. It operates twice yearly and is open for public viewing 365 days a year. The property is located at 1609 Hudson Road (Rt 343), approximately six miles west of Cambridge.

Since 1972, several other buildings have been moved to the site, creating a small nineteenth-century village. The Spocott Windmill Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) entity, was organized in 1971 to maintain the village, provide an educational component, and work with other organizations to preserve the area’s history and culture. All of our support comes from local citizens and groups. The Internal Revenue Service has officially ruled that all contributions paid to the foundation are tax deductible.