Entry No. 24 — the Fort Collins file — filed under: history
Lee Maxwell Washing Machine Museum
Tucked onto a farm three miles west of Eaton, Lee Maxwell's 20,000-square-foot building holds the Guinness-certified world's largest collection of antique washing machines — over 1,400 machines spanning from the 1840s to the mid-20th century. Maxwell, a retired CSU electrical engineering professor, personally disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled most of them. Among the standouts: a washer powered by sheep walking a ramp, a machine that doubles as a hair-perming device, and examples sourced from Austria, France, Germany, and Great Britain. He also authored the first comprehensive history of washing machines, viewing the collection as a record of women's liberation from domestic labor.
The story
When Lee Maxwell retired from teaching electrical engineering at Colorado State University, he didn't take up golf. Instead, he started hunting down obsolete domestic machinery, eventually filling a 20,000-square-foot building on his farm outside Eaton with over 1,400 antique washing machines spanning from the 1840s to the mid-20th century. Guinness eventually verified it as the largest collection on Earth, but the sheer count doesn't explain the obsession: Maxwell personally disassembled, scrubbed, repaired, and reassembled almost every single gear, tub, and flywheel in the room.
The floor reads less like an appliance depot and more like a fever dream of patent-office desperation. You'll find a washer powered by a live sheep trotting up an inclined wooden treadmill, a unit modified to double as a salon hair-perming rig, and hand-cranked tubs hauled back from Austria, France, Germany, and Great Britain. Maxwell didn't collect these out of domestic nostalgia; he authored the definitive history of the appliance, viewing every cast-iron lever and hand-carved agitator as tangible evidence of humanity's long struggle to automate the brutal, backbreaking labor historically forced upon women.
What it's like
Getting in requires planning—there are no turnstiles, no gift shop, and zero walk-in hours. You book by calling or emailing ahead, paying a flat group rate of roughly $150 (bring up to ten people to make the math work), and driving out to a working farm three miles west of Eaton. Because it's an active agricultural property packed with historic machinery, children under 12 aren't admitted and open-toed shoes are an absolute non-starter. Your reward is a private, two-hour guided walk led by Maxwell himself, who will personally crank the mechanisms, break down the engineering quirks, and explain how domestic labor evolved over two centuries.
The move: Book an appointment together and arrive ready for a genuine two-hour guided tour from Maxwell himself — the machines are wild enough to spark conversation for the whole drive home. Pair it with lunch in Greeley or a stop at one of Eaton's small-town diners.
📍 Before you go Tours are by appointment only — email oldewash@aol.com or call 970-454-1856. Tours run approximately two hours, typically at 9:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. during warmer months. Cost is around $150 for groups up to 10 (confirm current pricing when booking). Children under 12 are not admitted. The museum is on a working farm, so wear closed-toe shoes. No walk-ins.
- 📍 Eaton
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 35901 County Road 31, Eaton, CO 80615
Hours: Added 2026-06-11 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Bruce's Bar — After two hours of mechanical history, drive four miles west to Severance for local culinary lore over a basket of Rocky Mountain oysters.
- Colorado Model Railroad Museum — Double down on Northern Colorado's grand-scale obsessive collections by heading eight miles south to inspect a 5,500-square-foot model railroad layout.
- Greeley History Museum — Rattlesnake Kate's Snakeskin Collection — Pair Maxwell's ode to prairie domestic labor with another legendary piece of regional frontier history eight miles away in Greeley.
Good to know
How do I book a visit?
Tours are by appointment only. You must call 970-454-1856 or email oldewash@aol.com in advance. Walk-ins are not permitted.
How much does a tour cost?
Pricing runs approximately $150 for groups of up to 10 people. Confirm exact current rates when booking.
Can I bring kids?
No, children under 12 are not admitted due to the working farm setting and open mechanical components.
What should I wear?
Wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes. The collection sits on an active farm and you will be walking across concrete and shop floors for two full hours.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Roadside America · northfortynews.com · Yelp · Tripadvisor · 5280 · The Denver Post
last checked: 2026-06-11