The Secret History of Washing Machines

Lee Maxwell loves washing machines. The retired electrical engineering professor began collecting washing machines in 1985, and has accrued a record-breaking 1,400 machines. That’s enough to earn him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Visitors can see the machines in person in Eaton, Colorado, where he’s the founder, owner, and proprietor of the Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum. “The washing machine is in each one of our homes sitting there,” he says. “But it’s not very often that people would think about how did it get there?”

Now his challenge is ensuring his legacy. At age 89, he’s looking to find a new home or caretaker for his collection of machines. “I’m trying to find an entity that I can give this history to,” he says.