Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 5, 2026

Daniel Halladay

Daniel Halladay was an American engineer, inventor and businessman, best known for his innovative self-regulating windmill, invented in Ellington, Connecticut in 1853.

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Daniel Halladay
Born(1826-11-24)November 24, 1826
Marlboro, Vermont
DiedMarch 1, 1916(1916-03-01) (aged 89)
Santa Ana, California
OccupationsEngineer, inventor, businessman
Halladay Windmill on display at the American Wind Power Center in Lubbock, Texas source ↗
Halladay Windmill in Niederwartha, Dresden, Saxony, Germany source ↗
Windmill in conjunction with water tank source ↗

Daniel Halladay (November 24, 1826 in Marlboro, Vermont – March 1, 1916 in Santa Ana, California)1 was an American engineer, inventor and businessman, best known for his innovative self-regulating windmill, invented in Ellington, Connecticut in 1853.2345

Because steam trains required frequent resupplies of clean water, Halliday's windmill and subsequent self-regulating designs became an essential part of early railroad infrastructure, particularly in the Great Plains.6

Versions of this windmill became an iconic part of the rural landscape in the United States,7 Argentina, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.

The historic Windmill at Ruprechtov based on Halladay's invention can be found in Ruprechtov in the Vyškov District of the Czech Republic.8

References

References

  1. Baker, T. Lindsay (January 1, 1985). A Field Guide to American Windmills. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806119014 – via Google Books.
  2. "Iron Man Windmill". ironmanwindmill.com.
  3. Lindsay Baker, T. (January 1985). A Field Guide to American Windmills. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 9780806119014 – via google.nl.
  4. "Water pumping windmills by Dorothy Ainsworth". backwoodshome.com. December 22, 2015.
  5. "Water Well Development, SARRATT/SARRETT/SURRATT Families of America". ancestry.com.
  6. Webb, Walter Prescott (1931). The Great Plains.
  7. "The Iconic Windmills That Made the American West". January 15, 2018.
  8. "Windmill history".