Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company Archives

The Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company was founded in Beatrice, Nebraska in 1878 by Charles B. Dempster. Mr. Dempster began making equipment for farmers and homesteaders populating the west following the Civil War. Throughout the company's history they have made a variety of items including windmills, water pumps, cultivators, fertilizer spreaders, gasoline products, and recycling trailers. In the early 1900's, they even distributed items associated with water systems like kitchen sinks and bathtubs.

 

Organized Dempster Archive Boxes

NPS/Robin Matty

With the help of The Margaret & Martha Thomas Foundation, the records of the Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company have been preserved to honor the thousands of employees who manufactured windmills and pumps for countless homesteaders and farmers. Special thanks to Ryan & Rebekah Mitchell and Glenn & Karen Bebee for donating these records to the American People and to the Daughters of the America Revolution for help digitizing the records.

Finding aids include a brief history of the collection and an inventory of the items it contains. If you would like to do research with the Dempster Mill Manufacturing Company archival collection, please visit the Researcher Information page for more information. [Dempster Finding Aid 867 KB DOC]

 

 

Explore the Archival Collections

Homestead Digital Archives