Iconic windmill returning to Va. historic area

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — An iconic Colonial Williamsburg landmark is set to return to the historic area next year after a restoration effort.

Officials say the windmill at Great Hopes Plantation was removed four years ago. Restoration work is scheduled to start this fall and wrap up in June 2015.

The windmill was completed in 1957 to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement and based on a 1636 windmill in England. It was even recreated on a 1980 U.S. Postal Service stamp.

Wear gradually eroded the machine’s stability and a steady growth of surrounding trees disrupted its power source.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation stopped operating the windmill in the mid-1990s and closed it to visitors in 2003. The structure was disassembled in 2010 and placed in storage.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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