TOP ROW - Wringer Washer

Wringer Washing Machine, 1929

Donor: Bill Moseley, 1995

Removing excess water from washed clothes was a difficult task. The wringer mechanism, patented in 1861, made the process easier. Clothes were fed between the rotating rollers to squeeze out excess water so they would dry faster on the clothes line.

Wringer Evolution

Early wringers were hand-cranked. This 1929 Universal Wringer Washing Machine is electric-powered. Automatic washers with spin-dry cycles to remove excess moisture, first came on the market in 1947. Within five years, they outsold wringer washers. The last wringer washer was made in 1983.

Headquarters Michigan

The Upton family made Southwest Michigan home to one of the world’s largest household appliance manufacturers. Louis Upton, born in Battle Creek, joined his brother Frederick and uncle Emory to form the Upton Machine Company in 1911 “so the women of the country could be assisted in their washing chore.”  In the 1920s, their little company became a major supplier for Sears, Roebuck & Co. Today the Upton Machine Company is known as the Whirlpool Corporation in Benton Harbor.