I'd guess that in lieu of the pump-and-flume system the automatic FF's had, that agitator, which also looks like it could have been used for target practice, must pump the water (like a Norge "burp-O-lator") in order to filter the water.
Could that have been a prototype for a machine that was never in full production? Since it is located in Frankfort, could be that the owner worked for GE?
Nice one, I first thought that it might use the pump outlet to filter flow, it looks like it could reach, then common sense kicked in and the rate they must pump out would put paid to that idea...very neat!!, Mike
I don't know... It looks almost a little too Norge to me... Maybe by the time this machine came around, GE no longer made their own wringers and sourced this from Borg-Warner?
The holes in the agitator may allow it to sit closer to the floor of the tub with the drain/pump located underneath...