STELLINGMOLEN
(TOWER MILL)

About 1604, Dutch millwrights began building larger and taller mills better capable of catching the wind in populated areas. This eliminated the need to erect them on the town outskirts.

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On tall mills, the cap (top) was more than 100 feet high, so a circular stage with a hand rail was build half-way up around the mill allowing the miller to set the sails.

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The stellingmolen had seven (sometimes nine) floors. Grain was lifted in sacks to the bin floor by a hoist. The grain flowed by gravity to the stone floor where it was ground and then to the meal floor to be sacked.

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Below the meal floor was the grain store, two floors of living quarters and sometimes a loading floor and a stable floor.