Eastham Windmill: Eastham, Massachusetts

The Eastham Windmill on Cape Cod is, well, a windmill and there’s not much to say about it, other than it’s the oldest windmill on Cape Cod.

Sidenote for a second – I always raise an eyebrow when I read grandiose claims like this. “Oldest windmill on Cape Cod?” So…I’m assuming there are a ton of other windmills on Cape Cod? What data are we comparing this to? It’s just like how, at home, this seafood fast food restaurant claimed to be the “best seafood in (name of my suburb)” when my suburb (in a landlocked Midwestern state nonetheless) is actually really small, with no other seafood restaurants in the town. They’re the best by default.

ANYWAY. There are actually several windmills on Cape Cod (who knew? I didn’t until I visited). Cape Cod is a windy place, so in the “olden days”, the windmill’s power was used to grind up corn and other items.  As for being the oldest? Yes, Eastham Windmill is the oldest but what’s impressive about it is how old this sucker really is — it was built in 1680.

Damn. 

Okay then. You can get down with your bad self and keep on, keepin’ on with the boasting about this being the “Oldest windmill on Cape Cod” claim. It actually has merit. And for a structure that old, the Eastham Windmill is in excellent shape!

Details

Location:
The Eastham Windmill is located in Eastham, MA in Windmill Park, which is right off Highway 6 (the main route on Cape Cod). And for a structure this old, it’s in great shape!

Cost: Visiting is free. The Eastham Windmill is located a public park.

Time Commitment:
5-10 minutes. A terrific stop for some quick photos when on a Cape Cod road trip. No tours available. If you want a tour of a windmill, the Jonathan Young Windmill offers free tours in the summer. We didn’t spend too much time here — just enough time to check it out, snap some pics and get some cheesy portraits by the windmill.