The Murphy Windmill is a functioning
windmill
A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in so ...
in
Golden Gate Park,
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
, United States. It was completed in 1908, and placed on the
San Francisco Designated Landmark
This is a list of San Francisco Designated Landmarks. In 1967, the city of San Francisco, California adopted Article 10 of the Planning Code, providing the city with the authority to designate and protect landmarks from inappropriate alterations. ...
list in 2000.
Location
The windmill is south of
Dutch Windmill on the western edge of
Golden Gate Park in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for "Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.
History
In the 1870s and 1880s, Golden Gate Park was planted on sand dunes and required substantial irrigation. In 1902, the
Park Commission authorized the construction of two windmills to pump groundwater for park irrigation rather than purchasing water at exorbitant costs from the
Spring Valley Water Company
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is a public agency of the City and County of San Francisco that provides water, wastewater, and electric power services to the city and an additional 1.9 million customers within three San Franc ...
. The Murphy Mill was completed in 1908, and pumped 40,000 gallons per day to the park.
Electric water pumps replaced the need for windmills in 1913, and the mill fell into disrepair. By the 1950s, the mill was in a state of ruin. In 1964, the San Francisco Citizens Commission for the Restoration of the Golden Gate Park Windmills was formed and led by Eleanor Rossi Crabtree, daughter of former San Francisco mayor
Angelo Rossi. Plans for the Murphy Mill restoration began in 2002, with a reopening in 2012.
It was placed on the
San Francisco Designated Landmark
This is a list of San Francisco Designated Landmarks. In 1967, the city of San Francisco, California adopted Article 10 of the Planning Code, providing the city with the authority to designate and protect landmarks from inappropriate alterations. ...
list on July 2, 2000.
Events
Since 2012 the Dutch community in the Bay Area celebrates
King's Day every year at the end of April near Murphy Mill. The event celebrates Dutch culture and traditions, including old Dutch kids games, flea market, Dutch food, beer, music, and dancing.
See also
*
Dutch Windmill
*
List of windmills in the United States
This is a list of windmill, traditional windmills in the United States.
Locations
Arizona
California
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Maine
Jonathan Young Windmill, 33 Route 6A, Orleans, MA. Originally constructed in 1798 and ...
References
External links
{{Commons category, Murphy Windmill, Golden Gate Park (San Francisco)
Murphy Windmill and Millwright Cottage - San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department
Golden Gate Park
Buildings and structures in San Francisco
Windmills in the United States
Windmills completed in 1908
1900s architecture in the United States
San Francisco Designated Landmarks
Agricultural buildings and structures in California
1908 establishments in California