A block off the main square in downtown Pella sits a very large windmill, and this isn’t just any windmill. Named the Vermeer Mill, this fully functioning, mid-1800’s style “koren molen” (grain mill) is a main feature of the Pella Historical Village and has played host to more than 17,000 visitors per year since it was first dedicated in July 2002.

At 124 feet from the ground to the tip of the highest sail, the Vermeer Mill is the tallest working mill in North America.  Even more impressive, though, is that it’s a modern windmill that uses the same design and technology (like ropes, pulleys, counterweights, levers and wooden pegs) that you would have found in a working mill in the Netherlands almost 200...