Stermolen

The name of the mill is derived from the painted wind rose on a side of the mill's tower. This star-shaped rose was already applied before the First World War, but the name 'Stermolen' only became popular from the 1960s onwards.
The patent for the establishment of a windmill in the hamlet of Hoenrik was granted in 1659 by Prince-Bishop Gerard van Groesbeek to Jan Thonis. This first windmill was destroyed by fire on March 20, 1886, while owned by B. Zels from Eksel, and was not rebuilt.
A little further on, the current standard mill was erected in 1901. It was purchased in Hainaut, close to the French border, and transported by train by Eugeen Bleukx-Driesen, a miller from the neighboring Wijchmaal. This Walloon mill dates from the beginning of the 18th century.

In 1909, the mill came into the possession of the Helsen family through purchase. Mathieu Helsen, son of Pol and born on July 27, 1906, and died in 1993, inherited the mill in 1948. He became the last professional miller and began operating the Stermolen as a fourteen-year-old in 1920. In 1954, one blade was removed, and since then, until 1970, only one blade was used for milling. Mathieu Helsen mainly milled animal feed and also some buckwheat. He sold this in one-kilogram bags.

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Source and much more information: Stermolen | Belgian Mill Database | Molenecho's

Eddy&Rita