Oughton Estate Windmill, Illinois, United States
4.5 (3 reviews) Spent Ranking #2 in Dwight Points of Interest & Landmarks • Architectural Buildings
A Neat Stop
A neat little place to stop and see this windmill. Nothing was open to go in, but still a great photo opt.
Address
101 W South St, Dwight, IL 60420-1369
Current local date and time now
Sunday, May 12, 2024, 9:46
User Ratings
4.5 based on (3 reviews)
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5Taylor B 5:00 PM Oct 28, 2020
Home of one of the founders of the Keeley Institute for alcoholism
The John R. Oughton House, also known as The Lodge or the Keeley Estate, is a 20-room Victorian mansion located at 101 West South Street in Dwight, Illinois, in Livingston County, on I-55, 79 miles southwest of Chicago. The grounds remain mostly unchanged since the house, which was built in 1891, was moved from its original site in 1894 and remodeled a year later. Oughton occupied the two-story house, which included a bowling alley in the basement, a dance hall and interior oak, mahogany and birch finishing, until his death in 1925. In 1930, it became a boarding house for patients of the internationally known Keeley Institute, which was founded in 1879 by Oughton, an Irish chemist, Dr. Lesley Keeley and a merchant named Curtis Judd. The Institute, which operated until 1965, utilized a new form of treatment for alcoholism. The estate features two outbuildings, a carriage house, a pond and a windmill, all of which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. But perhaps the centerpiece of the estate, especially for tourists, is the 110-foot-high windmill tower. Originally called the Pumping Tower, the windmill with its 840-foot deep well, provided a water system for the Oughton Estate. It also featured an 88-barrel cypress tank at the top and its head, which was 16 feet across, was one of the largest in the United States at the time of its construction in 1896. Today, visitors stroll the area and view the restored windmill, pond and 50-by-80-foot brick barn.
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4Indy-ND 5:00 PM Sep 23, 2020
A Route 66 Off-the-path Landmark
The windmill is quite interesting looking. It was built in the late 1800's and has been restored to a beautiful building. It's not on Route 66, but it is worth a look if you have a little time after you stop at the Texaco Station. There is an information board to read about the building and the whole complex that's around the building.
