For over 120 years, the Maytag Company played a vital role in the town of Newton, Iowa, while at the same time forever influencing the lives of people across the United States and around the world. In 1893, Frederick Maytag found the Maytag Washing Machine Company with his brothers, as a farm implement company. In 1907, the company created its first in home washing machine called "Pastime", which lead to steady innovations to the washing machine until their first automatic washing machine "AMP" was introduced in 1948. The invention of the washing machine was influential in the process of emancipation for women and it is intrinsically connected to the growth of the city of Newton. Though Maytag was bought out by Whirpool in 2006, the company's history in Newton, Iowa still gives the community a sense of greater belonging within the evolution of technology and feminist history.
Currently, there is no museum specifically dedicated to the Maytag Company. There is an exhibit within the Jasper County Museum discussing the history of the company and its impact on Newton, Iowa. However, we are proposing that one of the old Maytag buildings be dedicated to a historic house museum dedicated to the Maytag Company. This could be a way to engage the community with their history as well as turning the sad history of the company being bought out by Whirpool into something positive. Having its own space means that the buildings will be preserved through usage and education.