A striking new silhouette rises on the Great Lawn at the western end of Main Street: the proud spars of the historic Governor John Adams Dix Windmill, fully restored and standing tall once more in the heart of Westhampton Beach.
Locals and visitors alike gather to admire the structure, which catches the light with elegance and strength—a landmark reborn. The windmill, originally built in 1870 on the estate of New York Governor John Adams Dix, has been meticulously reconstructed, blade by blade and board by board, by the Westhampton Beach Historical Society and a determined team of village leaders, preservationists, and volunteers.
The windmill is the only restored wind-powered water pump on the East End, a unique distinction among Long Island’s 11 historic windmills. While most mills were built to grind grain or saw timber, the Dix Windmill reflects a lesser-known chapter of Long Island’s rural ingenuity: using wind power to bring water to homes, farms, and livestock in the days before electricity.
That practical purpose, it turns out, may have also helped preserve the structure. During disassembly, builders discovered the third floor was heavily reinforced to support a massive wooden water tank, a vessel that likely kept the windmill anchored through generations of fierce Atlantic storms, including the devastating Westhampton Express Hurricane of 1938.
For decades, the windmill stood quietly on Sunswyck Lane, nestled into the grounds of the Dix estate. When the property changed hands in 2021, new owners Adam and Didi Hutt made an extraordinary gesture: donating the windmill to the village. With time ticking against the Hutts’ construction plans, the village moved quickly. On July 7, 2022, the historic structure was carefully dismantled and paraded down Main Street in a dramatic convoy, cheered on by curious onlookers and smiling officials.
Now fully reassembled on the village’s Great Lawn, the windmill is both an artifact and an active part of the area’s cultural life. Plans are underway to install educational exhibits inside the building, showcasing how wind power helped shape the settlement and survival of early Westhampton Beach, which has become known as “Windmill Town.”
The cost of the move and restoration was funded through a mix of grants, endowments, and private donations. A grassroots GoFundMe campaign launched by the Westhampton Beach Historical Society brought in $10,000 during its first week. Additional support came from the Greater Westhampton Chamber of Commerce, the Southampton Town Community Preservation Fund, and a state grant.