THE COLUMBUS WASHBOARD COMPANY--
Logan, Ohio

Nestled in the hills of Hocking County just a chip shot from Conkle's Hollow and Old Man's Cave this is the only remaining company in the Western Hemisphere making washboards--and they still are doing it the old fashioned way, one at a time.

The largest washboard in the world (left) is located on the side of their factory and serves as an advertising beacon to the local, year-round tourist trade.  As you can see from the photo the board is two stories tall.

The company's history began in Columbus in 1895 when Frederick Martin Sr., started making washboards in his backyard shop and continued until he retired and sold the company to his son Frederick Jr., in 1925.

While no records exist it is thought fewer than 1,000 washboards were made during that first 30 years.  Son Frederick Jr., and his wife were active in the company until their deaths in the late 1980s.

During their first five years sales grew to over 20,000 boards per year.  By 1941 sales volume had grown to over 1,000,000 washboards per year.  From their start, the Frederick Martins produced and sold over 23,000,000 of these cordless "washing machines".

The company has been the only washboard manufacturer in the country since the late 1960s.

Diane, one of two remaining employees on the factory floor (left) continues to produce between 18 and 22 thousand boards per year at the rate of about 40 seconds each.

Forty percent of those are used for washing clothes and between 20 and 40 percent are used as musical instruments.  The rest find their way into country-style decorating and crafts.

The board's capability of making pleasing musical tones began to be noticed when glass was used in place of hard-to-acquire metal during the Second World War.

The board I purchased has its own version of two wash cycles; one for more heavy duty tasks than the other.  This is achieved by having a more robust rubbing surface on the heavy duty side.  Ingenious. 

The jig Diane is demonstrating is one of several different sizes that were designed in 1895.  Diane's machine and its siblings have been in continuous use in the factory since the early 1900s.

Mark and Nancy Meinzer and my lady Sue Brooks (center) listen as Diane describes the company's practice of supporting US troops with a care package of a board, wash tub, soap, clothesline and pins which provide a marvelous service for troops who find themselves with prolonged service under primitive conditions.

This tiny firm also was recognized by the Rand McNally folks in 2006 when it was included in a story on short vacation trips that have places like the washboard factory that boost the quality of a vacation from memorable to unforgettable.
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Columbus Washboard Co.