Fabyan Windmill in Geneva now open for the season every Sunday

The Fabyan Windmill opened for the season June 4 and will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays through the first weekend in October.

The windmill is located in the Fabyan Forest Preserve, 1500 Crissey Ave., Geneva.

According to the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, Fabyan Forest Preserve once was part of the estate of George and Nelle Fabyan. They came to the Fox River Valley in the early 1900s and bought a farmhouse and 10 acres on the west bank of the Fox River.

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County bought the 300-acre estate after their deaths in 1936 and 1939.

The windmill is located on the east side of the Fabyan Forest Preserve near Route 25. The structure is 68 feet and was built by Louis Blackhaus, a German craftsman, between 1850 and 1860.

The windmill originally was located in what is now Lombard, but George Fabyan bought it and moved it to his estate.

The windmill was restored by Dutch windmill maker Lucas Verbij and opened to the public in 2005.

Fabyan Windmill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Volunteer millers train and run the mill. Volunteer tour guides or docents give tours on Sunday afternoons.

Anyone interested in becoming a windmill volunteer should contact the volunteer coordinator at 630-762-2741 or email volunteer@kaneforest.com.

Private tours are available by appointment. Call 630-232-5980.