About
In 1895, Frederic Martin founded the Columbus Washboard Company in its namesake city. At its peak in 1941, the company built and sold 1,287,757 washboards to fulfill a growing need. Beyond laundry, the washboards are also used as decorative pieces, furniture accents, and a good old-fashioned American Bluegrass musical instrument.
The company found success in Columbus for over a century until it was sold and relocated to an empty factory near the Hocking Hills region of the state in 1999. At this point in history, the Columbus Washboard Company was the only remaining washboard maker in the USA.
To make a tribute to this honor, the company erected a 24-foot-tall replica of one its highest selling products on the factory's exterior wall. This special display, constructed by Barnett Construction, was hung in 2002.
Today, the factory continues to make up to 20,000 washboards a year, selling them to chain stores, online, and to visitors in their gift shop.
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Know Before You Go
The world's largest washboard is on Gallagher Avenue, with the store front just blocks away on East Main Street. There is no cost to visiting the large washboard. You can also visit their store for factory tours.
Columbus Washboard Company also supports the community each year with Logan’s annual Washboard Music Festival, which was launched around the same time the business moved to its new home town. This exciting event is held each June on Father’s Day weekend to celebrate a piece of Appalachian heritage.
Published
April 21, 2026
Sources
- https://www.dispatch.com/story/lifestyle/2022/01/16/columbus-washboard-factory-museum-logan-ohio-worth-trip/9104504002/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z1111xxe1111xxv000048&gca-ft=171&gca-ds=sophi
- https://www.worldrecordacademy.org/2023/4/worlds-largest-washboard-world-record-in-logan-ohio-423209
- https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/8111
- https://www.loganwashboardfestival.com/
- https://www.ohiomagazine.com/ohio-life/article/world-s-largest-washboard-logan
