Press Releases

SALINAS, Calif. - May 30, 2006 - After nearly three years of planning and restoration, a rare, turn-of-the-century wind engine will come home to the Harden Estate in Salinas on Friday, June 2. Reassembly and installation of the wind engine on top of the retrofitted Harden Ranch millhouse will occur over the ensuing weeks.

The Challenge Double Header Wind Engine, built in 1890 for Duncan McKinnon, is a masterpiece of Victorian engineering-a mighty windmill that supplied power to operate millstones, a grain elevator, water pump, and a woodworking shop. It is extremely rare and most likely, the only surviving windmill of its kind. Although the wind engine has not been in use since 1906 when electricity took over, its main components and the machinery it operated have survived intact.

Restoration of the Challenge Double Header began in 2003 when the Harden Foundation hired Derek Ogden, a world-renowned millwright, to research the mill site at the Harden Estate. As primary project consultant, Ogden supervised reconstruction of the wind engine and its 1300 blades, a monumental job entrusted to the Shickel Corporation, a specialized machine shop in Bridgewater, Virginia.

As the wind engine took shape in Virginia, dedicated architects and carpenters retrofitted the Harden Estate's historic farm buildings, and millwright Ben Hassett restored the original mill machinery once powered by the wind engine. Segments of the restoration process, in both Salinas and Virginia, were nationally publicized May 13 on the History Channel's program, "Back to the Blueprint."

"We're thrilled to be able to preserve part of the agricultural history of the Salinas Valley for the enjoyment and education of the community," said Joe Grainger, executive director of the Harden Foundation. "We are looking forward to having the opportunity for students and the general public to learn more about this historic jewel."

The Harden Foundation's plans include welcoming school groups and the community to learn about the workings of the mill and the legacy and special contributions of the Harden Family. Although the mill and wind engine will be fully operational, they will only be run on special occasions. Announcement of dates for public viewing and group visits will begin in the fall of 2006.

For more information, contact the Harden Foundation at (831) 442-3005 or visit www.hardenfoundation.org.
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Eugene and Ercia Harden founded the Harden Foundation in 1963 to assist nonprofit charitable organizations in the Salinas Valley. Over the past 43 years, the Foundation has awarded more than $45 million in grants to community nonprofit groups in Monterey County. For more information contact the Harden Foundation at 831.442.3005 or visit www.hardenfoundation.org.