Aermotor Windmill Company
Encyclopedia
Aermotor Windmill Company is the only windmill
manufacturer in the United States
. The company was established in 1888.
for a different job but saw the potential of the all-metal windpump
developed by Perry after extensive experiments. The first Aermotor was sold in 1888, with 45 windmills in total being sold in the first year. Aeromotor soon became a strong competitor among its contemporaries selling over 20,000 of its windmills by 1892. Over the next 30 years Aermotor grew and expanded, introducing accessories and variants on "the mathematical windmill."
La Verne Noyes died in 1919. He left the Aermotor Company to a tax paying trust, with 48 colleges and universities as beneficiaries.
Aermotor continued to innovate and manufacture windmills throughout World War II
and helped to produce the top secret Norden bombsight
.
During the latter part of the century ownership of the Aermotor Company changed hands and had its operation moved and expanded to new venues, including the country of Argentina
, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
, Brentwood, Missouri
, and Conway, Arkansas
. By 1981, 80% of all windmills manufactured in The United States had their genesis in Conway. In 1998 Aermotor was purchased by Kees Verheul, grandfather of Kate Waldorf, its current owner and president. It now operates from a 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) facility in San Angelo, Texas
.
. The largest benefactors were University of Chicago
and Iowa State University
in Ames, Iowa
, La Verne's alma mater. These scholarships are still available today.
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
manufacturer in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company was established in 1888.
History
La Verne Noyes, founder of Aermotor Windmill Company, had hired engineer Thomas O. PerryThomas O. Perry
Thomas Osborn Perry was a mechanical engineer, designer, and the original innovator of the all-metal windmill. Perry made significant contributions to the field of wind powered turbines and was an early pioneer of modern wind power technology.- History :...
for a different job but saw the potential of the all-metal windpump
Windpump
A windpump is a windmill used for pumping water, either as a source of fresh water from wells, or for draining low-lying areas of land. Once a common fixture on farms in semi-arid areas, windpumps are still used today where electric power is not available or too expensive.-History:Windmills were...
developed by Perry after extensive experiments. The first Aermotor was sold in 1888, with 45 windmills in total being sold in the first year. Aeromotor soon became a strong competitor among its contemporaries selling over 20,000 of its windmills by 1892. Over the next 30 years Aermotor grew and expanded, introducing accessories and variants on "the mathematical windmill."
La Verne Noyes died in 1919. He left the Aermotor Company to a tax paying trust, with 48 colleges and universities as beneficiaries.
Aermotor continued to innovate and manufacture windmills throughout World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and helped to produce the top secret Norden bombsight
Norden bombsight
The Norden bombsight was a tachometric bombsight used by the United States Army Air Forces and the United States Navy during World War II, and the United States Air Force in the Korean and the Vietnam Wars to aid the crew of bomber aircraft in dropping bombs accurately...
.
During the latter part of the century ownership of the Aermotor Company changed hands and had its operation moved and expanded to new venues, including the country of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County but also with a small section of the city in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 US Census, Broken Arrow has a population of 98,850 residents...
, Brentwood, Missouri
Brentwood, Missouri
Brentwood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri. The population was 8,055 at the 2010 census. Brentwood is home to Brentwood High School, a 2006 National Blue Ribbon Award winner, and Mark Twain Elementary School, a 2009 National Blue Ribbon Award...
, and Conway, Arkansas
Conway, Arkansas
Conway is the county seat of Faulkner County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 58,908 at the 2010 census, making Conway the seventh most populous city in Arkansas. It is a principal city of the Little Rock–North Little Rock–Conway Metropolitan Statistical Area which had...
. By 1981, 80% of all windmills manufactured in The United States had their genesis in Conway. In 1998 Aermotor was purchased by Kees Verheul, grandfather of Kate Waldorf, its current owner and president. It now operates from a 40000 square feet (3,716.1 m²) facility in San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
.
Products
Besides the production of windmills from 6 feet (1.8 m) tall to 16 feet (4.9 m) tall, Aermotor also produces the towers on which a windmill sits. Four post towers come in steel (ranging from 21 feet (6.4 m) tall to 60 feet) and wood (from 14 to 37 feet (11.3 m) tall). Aermotor also produces and helps in procurement of the pump assembly and drilling.Philanthropy
In 1918 the founder of Aermotor Windmill Company, La Verne Noyes, donated nearly $2.5 Million USD to establish scholarships for veterans of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The largest benefactors were University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
, La Verne's alma mater. These scholarships are still available today.