Kregel Windmill Factory Museum

Step inside the modest, one-story structure on Central Avenue in Nebraska City and you will enter a world that few have experienced; the manufacture of windmills as tools of modern technology circa 1902. As you enter you can almost sense the heat of the forge, feel the rumbling from vibrations of the huge overhead machines and hear hammer meeting metal in the fabrication area. The museum has been described as a time capsule of early 20th Century shop-type manufacturing.

Everyday things such as ledger books on shelves, telephone, pencils and pens on the desk, even an overcoat on a hook remain where they were last used. The building appears much as it did in the 1930’s when invoices were written by hand, correspondence was typed on a manual typewriter machine and even local phone calls were be placed through an operator.

factory museum interior
wheel and pulley system
machine gear