ADVERTISEMENT

    All Washed Up in Logan, Ohio

    If you are looking for something to do this weekend, heading south to Logan, Ohio for their Washboard Music Festival could be a fun option. Billed as, “Ohio’s Most Unique Music Festival,” the festival runs from June 18-20 and celebrates the evolution of the washboard from an item of necessity into an item of decoration and entertainment.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Logan is an easy hour drive southeast of Columbus on Route 33. We recently went there to find out more about the Columbus Washboard Company, the only original washboard manufacturer still in operation in the United States. They are also home to the world’s largest washboard. Founded in 1895 and originally located on Oxley Avenue in Grandview Heights, the company relocated to an old shoe factory in Logan in 1999. The company now employs five women and they hand-assemble all of their washboards. Our tour guide was Betty. She said her favorite part about working for the company is seeing so many of the vintage machines still in operation today. The first step in making a washboard is placing the wood pieces in the Finger Joint Machine to cut the joints in the top (head) and sides (legs) of the wood. The wood is purchased from Timberwolf in Laurelville, Ohio who cuts all of the pieces to the exact size needed. The company has their decorative name plates printed by a local screenprinter. There are plenty to choose from and you can even have custom ones made for your company.

    Here is a video of Betty assembling a washboard in 30 seconds:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxr0j-Wb6hM

    Pictured below are some of the machines they still use today, and some that are no longer used because better, more efficient machines or ways of doing things have replaced them.

    Box Stitcher:

    Metal Crimper:

    Gravity Fed Nailer (No longer used, nail guns are now used):

    Brand Board Printing Press (No longer used, screenprinting is now used):

    Assortment of finished washboards:

    Although washboards today have found uses as decoration and entertainment, many continue to use them for doing laundry. The Columbus Washboard Company accepts $25 donations to assemble kits to send to our troops. If you’d like to sponsor a kit, please make checks payable to Kuwait Fund, c/o The Columbus Washboard Company. The kits contain:

    • 1 Washboard $12.20
    • 1 Washtub $6.80
    • 1 Clothesline $2.00
    • 1 Clothespin $2.00
    • 1 Lye Soap $2.00
    • Foot Powder – free

    If you go: The Columbus Washboard Company is located at 14 Gallagher Avenue, Logan, Ohio 43138. Phone: 1-800-343-1528.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    Subscribe

    More to Explore:

    Anne Evans
    Anne Evanshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-evans/
    Anne Evans is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations for The Metropreneur and Columbus Underground. She regularly contributes feature stories on both sites, as well as Mega Weekend each week. She has started and grown businesses, created experiences, forged community partnerships, and worked to create opportunities for others. She loves meeting new neighbors and those making an impact in our community. Want to connect?
    ADVERTISEMENT