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12' Aermotor
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This is a 12' Model
502 Aermotor mill on a 32' Aermotor steel tower.
Location: SPWA Park
This is a working water pumping windmill. There is a water well located under this mill connected to the mill. This mill is a very rare Aermoter windmill. It was manufactured only one year in 1915. The mill was discontinued due to lubrication problems. Later a kit was made available to overcome this problem. During the restoration of this mill, this kit was installed. Little is known of the history except it came from Nebraska and was restored in Denver, Colorado. The tower came from Rocky Ford, Colorado, and was also obtained along with the mill from an individual in Denver. The wheel needed some repairs and this was done by Orville Latham, Don Reed, and J.D. Wilbanks here in Spearman. Orville Latham restored the platforms on the tower, J.D. Wilbanks made the base for the tower, and Don Reed painted the mill. Wanda Reed did the lettering on the vane. It was erected on location, and Rick Cazares of the Panhandle Water Well Service put the restored mill on the tower.
The water well was financed by Mr. Wallace Stanberry, CEO of TRANSPETCO. The well was drilled by the Burkett Drilling Company of Sunray. Mr. L.C. Burkett of the drilling company allowed a very generous discount on the drilling bill.
The well is 495 feet deep. It is a 9" hole with 5" PVC casing gravel packed with 30' of perforation from 450 to 480'. Water level is 331'. There is 364' of 2" galvanized pipe with 1 1/8" wood sucker rods hooked to a 1 7/8" diameter working barrel and valves on the bottom. Mr. Britt Jarvis of Spearman donated 241' of pipe and sucker rods, and the rest was purchased new. Mr. Rick Cazares set the pipe and rods in the well.
The well was drilled July 9, 2003. The project was completed and the first water pumped was August 12, 2003.
The tank for this well was made several years ago by Mr. Delon Kirk of Spearman. It was used on his farm for several years until the bottom started to leak. It was made of 13 steel implement wheels welded together with a steel plate for a bottom. When the bottom started leaking the tank was discarded. It was donated to the SPWA by the Kirk family. J.D. Wilbanks took it to his shop where it was redesigned for this project. A part was cut off to be used for a b ase and a new plate welded to the rest with the old bottom becoming the top of the tank. It was painted bright silver by Don Reed. The tank sets on new railroad ties for the base.
The tower along with the tank was placed on location by Dwayne Mitchell, Don Reed, Orville Latham, and J.D. Wilbanks.
The well is to be used to irrigate in the park, and as an added attraction to the SPWA Park.
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