Stamp Collector Find! Windmills

Collectible Windmill Stamps ( 74 used stamps- 10 VA, 10 RI, 18 MA, 17 IL, 19 TX) Relative had been collecting. These are from a series of Five Windmill stamps that were issued by the USPS sometime in the 1970's or 1980's. Stamp of Farm Windmill in Texas: depicts an American farm windmill and a water storage tank. This type of wind pump is also known as a “Chicago mill” for the region of the U.S. where hundreds of thousands were built during the 19th century. Stamp of Post Mill in Virginia: depicts a post mill built by English settlers in Virginia. The mill is probably the mill at Williamsburg, Virginia which was reconstructed in the 1970s. Stamp of Stage Windmill in Illinois Stamp of Smock Windmill in Massachusetts Stamp of Tower Mill in Rhode Island: note the external yaw wheel for pointing the turbine into the wind. The miller would use an endless chain or rope to turn the wheel which would then orient the cap of the windmill in the direction desired. Also note the the position of the stock or blade spar relative to the lattice work of the blade or sail.The blade is asymmetrical about the stock. Compare this with the blades on the Illinois, Massachusetts, and Virginia stamps.