Safeguarding the Historic Fabyan Windmill

Preserving the Fabyan Windmill is critical to safeguarding an iconic piece of Kane County’s history. As one of the best examples of an authentic Dutch windmill in the U.S., the windmill holds significant historical value and has been recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. To ensure its continued preservation and protect it from potential threats, the Forest Preserve District of Kane County is implementing a fire suppression system.

In 2023, the District applied for a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for up to $700,000 in funding. This grant will support protection and improvements to the windmill, including the design and installation of the fire suppression system.

Due to its unique construction and historical significance, the Forest Preserve District needed a company not only to install the system but to design it specifically for the site. The District will spend $122,574 with an Elgin-based company to complete the work. Because the Windmill lacks heating or cooling systems, installation adjustments may be needed as the project progresses.

The Windmill, originally built between 1850 and 1860 by German craftsman Louis Blackhaus, was purchased by Colonel George Fabyan in 1914 and moved from what is now Lombard to its current location along the Fox River in Fabyan Forest Preserve, located on Route 25 in Geneva, Illinois. 

​The Fabyan Windmill was restored by third-generation Dutch millwright Lucas Verbij and re-opened to the public in 2005. It was featured on a 15-cent U.S. postage stamp in 1980 and continues to be a point of pride for the community. Visitors can tour the windmill on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., June through September, at Fabyan Forest Preserve in Geneva, which was once part of the Fabyan family estate known as "Riverbank."

For more information about the Fabyan Windmill go to https://kaneforest.com/fabyan-windmill