Learn about Pastime Maytag washer history facts, the story behind Maytag’s first clothes washer, and the company’s eventual industry dominance showcasing American ingenuity and innovation.
Over the years, the Maytag Company celebrated the heritage of its first washing machine – the Pastime, launched in 1907. But the story of the washer’s origins, and how the Pastime set the course for Maytag’s long industry leadership, is little known today.
Maytag’s history begins in 1893 with the founding of Parsons Band Cutter & Self Feeder Co. in Newton, Iowa. The company was formed to manufacture George W. Parsons’ invention: a threshing machine self-feeder. Besides Parsons, the company’s other founders were brothers William C. Bergman and A.H. Bergman, and F.L. “Fred” Maytag. In 1882, Maytag married Dena Bergman, sister to the two Bergman brothers.
The new company struggled in its first year. The company had no factory and contracted with Skow Bros. in Newton for production of its initial 150 feeders. Each of the principals worked only part-time for the business in that first year. Eventually, the former Newton Stove Works was acquired for factory space and Fred Maytag took a more active role in management. The company turned a small profit in the second year and steady growth followed.
Parsons left the business in 1897, forming a new company (Parsons, Rich & Co.) the next year to manufacture his newest invention: a self-feeder marketed as the Hawkeye. The Parsons company also grew and added additional products to its offerings, including gasoline engines.
In August 1903, a fire destroyed most of the factory. Parsons opted to rebuild in Newton, reorganizing the company late in 1903 as Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co. In December 1904, Fred Maytag and W.C. Bergman purchased a controlling interest in Parsons Hawkeye Co., and George Parsons retired from the firm.
Parsons Band Cutter & Self Feeder Co. and Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co. continued as separate concerns with their own sales forces, but with Maytag as the manager of both firms. George Parsons was back in business a short time later as G.W. Parsons Co., manufacturing excavating machinery.
Rise of the washing machine created a new category for manufacturers
Development of the washing machine can be traced to the 1700s. Simple washboards with corrugated metal grooves were first patented in the U.S. in 1833. Patents dating to the 1850s featured designs for hand-cranked rotating tubs. Other designs conceived mechanisms to rub clothing. By the 1880s, washing machine companies were springing up across the U.S., and many hundreds of inventions were being patented.
In Newton in the 1880s, a washing machine prototype (the Whirl) was built by Skow Bros. for W.H.L. King. The first real production washer in Newton emerged from Hawkeye Incubator Co. in 1899. The Ratchet Slat washer was priced at $5. Hawkeye Incubator Co. was founded in 1898 by two Bergman brothers (William and Fred H). The incubator business, however, did not keep the factory busy full time, and that created an opening for production of washing machines.
At the Iowa State Fair in 1904, Fred Bergman became interested in a washing machine he saw there. The invention of Hiram Mendenhall and Bert Stocking of Audubon, Iowa, the washer featured a balance wheel under the tub to keep the washer in motion. The design was licensed and Hawkeye Incubator began production of a washer it promoted as the One Minute washer.
The next year, rebuilding after a fire destroyed the Hawkeye factory, the company dropped the incubator line to focus on washing machines. In 1905-’06, Hawkeye’s total output reached nearly 10,000 washers. By 1910, production had risen to nearly 50,000 units. The name of the company was changed in July 1908 to One Minute Mfg. Co.
In January 1907, Iowa Washing Machine Co. was formed in Des Moines, Iowa, led by H. Mendenhall and Fred Bergman. The two planned to build a portfolio of washer patents, which they would then license to manufacturers. Iowa Washing Machine Co. aggressively pursued patent infringement cases, earning significant revenues from licensing and legal settlements.
Inventors collaborate on the Pastime
At Parsons Hawkeye, production of farm equipment experienced occasional lulls. At the same time, company leaders likely noted continued growth of Hawkeye Incubator’s washing machine operation. Perhaps at the urging of the Bergman brothers, Parsons Hawkeye started working to create a washer in 1907. A small batch of tub assemblies was purchased from Hawkeye Incubator in November and then another 25 in December.
The washer would need a mechanism different from the popular One Minute. It appears that the new washer benefited from the inventive efforts of at least two individuals: Virgil A. White and William J. Schoonover.
After serving with Union forces in the American Civil War, White settled in Iowa in 1865. Initially he worked as a machinist, but by the 1890s he’d taken up farming in Newton. Following White’s death on March 2, 1909, a patent application was filed in his name in July 1909 and assigned to his wife, Sarah. Patent No. 961,740 was awarded in June 1910.
Settling in Des Moines, by 1900, William Schoonover teamed up with Horace Cammack in 1904 to create the Beats All Washing Machine Co. The two were listed as co-inventors on a March 1904 patent application for washing machine gearing. By the end of the year, a large factory was planned, and several experimental machines had been built.
The company was listed in Des Moines city directories in 1904 and ’05, but then vanished. Schoonover went on to work as a salesman, including for Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co., where he sold washing machines. He also continued to file patent applications on washing machine mechanisms. At least two were assigned to Iowa Washing Machine Co. of Des Moines, including Patent No. 996,148 (awarded June 27, 1911), which would be used to build the washer at Parsons Hawkeye. Schoonover continued to invent and was awarded at least 11 patents.
Patternmaker George Seeds was engaged to build prototypes of the new washer. Arriving in Newton by 1904, Seeds worked for Parsons Band Cutter & Self Feeder on tooling for the Ruth feeder (a highly regarded design that Maytag had bought in early 1905). Seeds remained in Newton for the rest of his life, working as a patternmaker for several washer manufacturers, and eventually running his own machine and pattern shop.
Surviving Pastime washing machines have two variants of mechanism combining elements of White’s and Schoonover’s patents. The first variant uses the bottom gear and flywheel (between two legs) construction and top center gear and guide shown in the White patent, in combination with Schoonover’s top side crank construction. The second variant uses Schoonover’s design for the bottom gears and flywheel (centered under the tub) and for the top side crank. From White, it retains the top center gear and guide design.
For Parsons, the Pastime washer was the right product at the right time
Most products of Parsons Hawkeye carried the Hawkeye name (for a short time, even the new washer was marketed with the Hawkeye name). But a more distinctive name was needed for the new invention and Pastime was the winning choice. Early in 1908, Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co. debuted its new washer at trade shows. Circulars designed to generate orders were printed in April.
Advertisements for the new Pastime washer appeared in print by mid-1908. Marketing efforts were directed to farming areas of the Midwest, Northwest U.S. and throughout Canada. Local hardware stores advertised the Pastime washing machine with no mention of its maker. The Pastime was guaranteed to wash clothes “Quicker, cleaner, and to run easier than any other machine in the world. Even a child could run it easily!”
Remarkably, several Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co. business ledgers have survived, and these give insights into the initial years of Pastime production. Washing machine sales began late in 1907, with just a handful sold. Distributor prices were in the range of $6 to $7.50 per machine. Tubs were initially purchased from Hawkeye Incubator Co., but by mid-1908 the company also began sourcing from H.F. Brammer Mfg. Co., Davenport, Iowa.
Hawkeye Incubator sales were growing fast and the company may not have had the capacity (or was reluctant) to provide tubs for Parsons Hawkeye. Making calculations from the ledgers, sales estimates for 1908 were 3,700 units; in 1909, sales estimates rose to 5,000 units. For 1909, the washing machine was the company’s revenue leader, displacing feeders and grain graders. Times were changing.
Pastime Maytag washer history facts: Maytag’s innovation
A big announcement came in the Newton Daily News on Dec. 14, 1909: Maytag Co. had been formed through a combination of Parsons Band Cutter & Self Feeder Co. and Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co. Fred Maytag would be president of the new concern. Incorporated Dec. 11, 1909, the new company was capitalized at $1 million. A listing of the Maytag product offering at incorporation shows farm equipment as the company’s main products, but mention was also given to washers and automobiles.
Maytag’s first catalog included the Pastime washer on the last two pages. The picture showed the washer sporting a Parsons Hawkeye decal. It was the only washing machine then offered by Maytag, but that would soon change.
Howard Snyder had joined Parsons Band Cutter & Self Feeder Co. in 1898 after George Parson’s departure. Snyder would serve as the company’s technical expert, and his inventions would add new and improved products to the offering.
By 1909, he had turned his focus to washing machines. His first design, sold as the Hired Girl, featured a belt drive for an external engine as well as hand operation. This was followed by a steady stream of innovations during the next few years, including electric and gas engine-powered models, and the addition of a swinging wringer.
The Pastime washing machine was available for sale by Maytag through 1913 and could be found in specific locations as late as 1916. Retail prices for a Pastime ranged from $11 to $15. In the late teens and early 1920s, Maytag made a full transition into washing machine production as threshing machine feeders and farm equipment faded into the past. By the mid-1920s, with the innovation of the aluminum tub washer, Maytag would become the largest washing machine manufacturer in the U.S.
Pastime Maytag washer history facts: the legacy endures
By the 1930s, Maytag began looking back on its heritage and paying tribute to the Pastime as its first washer. An image of a Pastime washer would be included in advertisements to illustrate the company’s long experience in the category.
Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of its first washer, Maytag sponsored an exhibit at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry called “The Tale of a Tub.” The exhibit traced the history of washing clothes and described the science involved in cleaning varied fabrics. Photos of the Pastime washer adorned the walls, and visitors could turn the crank on a restored Pastime. The exhibition ran from 1958 to 1969.
Maytag restored two Pastime washers in the late 1950s for the Chicago exhibit and other appearances. After the Chicago exhibit closed, one machine was put on display in the company’s sales training facility in Newton. The other was displayed in the Jasper County (Iowa) Historical Museum with other company historical artifacts. Maytag celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1993, and the Pastime was pictured prominently in many centennial publications. It truly is the most famous Pastime!
A personal pastime story
Author discovers an unexpected link to early washer inventory in his family tree.
The recent addition of a Pastime washing machine to our collection inspired the research supporting this article. But the Pastime story is also my story.
Born in 1893, my grandmother was a Parsons. Knowing that George Parsons was the founder of the two companies that would become Maytag, I often wondered if we might be related. When I tried an online ancestry tool, I was surprised to learn that we are: G.W. Parsons is my first cousin (four times removed). My Pastime washer was made by Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co., and its original decal is intact. For me, the Parsons name on the washer is family.
In the late 1980s, I began a design engineering job with Maytag in Newton in Research & Development. I was involved in creating new appliances. Dishwashers, dryers and advanced technology were my main focuses. Maytag and its appliance products became my career for more than 30 years. Many innovations and new products were brought to life. Like my cousin George 100 years before, I was awarded several patents for inventions. There also were a couple moves over the years, including the one when Maytag sold out to Whirlpool.
During my first years at Maytag, working in Newton, I could feel the history. Many of the people in R&D at that time had 20, 30, even 40-plus years of experience. Some had started working there as early as the 1950s. Patternmaker Harold Brown told me about one of his first jobs: restoring the two Pastime washers. I was present in Newton for the grand 100th anniversary celebration. Several of the old Maytag factory buildings were still actively used in production, and I got to experience it all. Maytag’s heritage is also my heritage.
It was very rewarding researching and writing this article, and being able to further unravel the history of the Famous Pastime washer.
The author gratefully acknowledges Lee Maxwell, Eaton, Colorado, for his research on washing machines (including the Pastime), and the Jasper County Historical Museum in Newton, Iowa, for preserving Newton’s washing machine heritage and for sharing Parsons Hawkeye Mfg. Co. historical documents. Anyone with knowledge of a surviving Pastime washer is asked to contact the author.
Barry Tuller is a collector of gas engines and related belt driven equipment, literature and advertising. He enjoys learning about engines, and researching the history of the people and companies that made them. Email him at btengines@gmail.com.
