Honoring the Abderdeen Farm

[Unimatic1140]

While we can assume that the Aberdeen Farm is probably is cleaned up and gone by now, I figured it was time to add a special photo album to the website to remember this incredible find.

Back in 1997 I was told by John E. in St. Paul about this “Farm” that was actually an appliance graveyard located 5 hours west of Minneapolis near Aberdeen, South Dakota. John had recently found the farm through an old appliance repair person and he had gone out there to find a Bendix Duomatic and Bendix parts. When he described the 1000’s of Frigidaire washers out there that he saw I just had to go a check it out. I was amazed, eventually I pulled some wonderful things off this farm and gave them a thorough restoration. Many Applianceville members here have now been to the farm and also have some fond memories. I created a photo album which you can access through the link below. Other members might have some great pictures to add, especially close-ups of some of the machines. If you do please email them to me to include in the album. Remember most of the machines you see have been outside for 20 or more years. The first 22 pictures are actual scanned photographs I took back in 1997 when the farm was pristine, untouched by us as of yet.

This shot is a before and after shot of my 1958 Frigidaire Unimatic, it took three months of hard labor to restore it…

http://automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/00ShowCollectionGETD.cgi?photoshow=001@Field%20of%20Dreams.jpg&dir=/COLLECTIONS/_FARM

 

[Unimatic1140]

and of course the Before and after of the Lady Kenmore...

 

[westyslantfront]

Hi Robert. Very impressive pictures. I am sure you worked hard to restore the machines.

Ross

 

[hoover1060]

silly question from a novice

Robert what's the history of that farm, and where did all that stuff come from?
Its a place I would love to see too, so much history, all those machines so forlorn looking.
Why would it be cleaned up?
I've seen vacuum graveyards that look very similar.

 

[mustangman]

Farm Update

How ironic this subject has come up. I e mailed syndets2000 (Robert) about the farm a couple days ago after seeing the video archive on this site. I wanted to know if it still existed so I could go there and look for treasures.

 

[peteski50]

Abderdeen Farm

Whow Robert,
I didn't realize their was so much on the farm. I wish they would all come to life like magic. You did such a wonderful job on all your restores.
Best Wishes
Peter

 

[chestermikeuk]

Field of Dreams

I would have loved to have seen your reaction driving up to it,

Have there been any other "farms" like this found??

Does anybody know what the machine is on Pic 18 behind the dexter double tubs??

 

[gansky1]

Beautiful! It's fun to see the farm as it was, not like we found it in '02 - 2/3 gone to the krusher. I have pics in my Yahoo album and I think more on a disc, I'll have to put them up as well. Thanks for setting up the album, Robert.

I love the goatee, Jon!

 

[filterflo]

Robert, Thank you for the wonderful pics. Im so fortunate to have been able to visit the farm with Greg and Peter back in 2003 and spent two days there. So sad to see so much gone by the time we got there, and such nice washers having gone to waste. Luckily we saved some of them, even if just for parts. It truely was a unique experience..........

 

[Unimatic1140]

As far as the history of the farm it sort of goes like this: A husband and wife couple back in the mid-60's who owned this farmland decided to get into the appliance recycling business. They soon realized that they could make some good cash by taking in old appliances, the just never got around to the recycling part.

The last time I was at the farm was in the fall of 2003 (I think), 2/3rds of it had been cleaned up. The couple had retired and passed the land onto their kids who were selling off the entire "collection" for scrap metal. I'm sure by now the farm is just a memory and corn goes once again on the field of dreams.

Mike the machine behind the Dexter double tub washer is a Bendix Dryer.

Jeff I surprised to hear there are vacuum junk yards like this, were these outside like the Aberdeen farm? The reason I’m surprised is that vacuum cleaners are much smaller and easier to dispose of than major appliances.

Jimmy, you are so very right when you say "It truly was a unique experience", I have never experienced anything like it. Walking around the farm (the full version back in '97) took over eight hours to see the whole thing, and when you found something cool, at times it took over an hour or more just to find it again. There were at least 10,000 washers out there alone, not to mention the dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators and ranges. It was an amazing high, by the end of the day you were tired, filthy and had a cut or two, but it was like being in heaven. I will never forget those experiences as long as I live.

I have never found another junk yard of its size and style again. I suspect with 21st EPA regulations that farms like this are a thing of the past.

 

[pulsator]

WOW... That is simply amazing!!! I wish I could have gone there. Perhaps we will find something like it again, who knows, SOMEONE else has to have gotten into recycling!

 

[peterh770]

Going there in 2003 was both exhilarating and depressing. Even though many of the washers had been removed already, there was still enough there that every time you turned around it was another "Oh! Look!", and then "Ooo! Ahhh!" experience.

And then you would really look at the machine, your heart would sink and it became a "What a shame!" pity party. Or you would think "Where on earth am I going to put this machine?" when you realized that you have no more room at home. Or you would curse yourself because you knew that you just couldn't save everything you found. Or you would find a keeper, only to realize that your dream machine is buried behind 20 or 30 refrigerators and there was no way to get it out.

The sun doesn't go down there until 10pm, and you spend morning to night looking for machines and then struggling to get them out. You arrive back at your hotel sweaty and greasy from insect repellant. You undress carefully, checking your clothes and your body for ticks. You take a shower, go to dinner and relive the "Ooo! Ahh!" and the "What a shame!" moments. When it is time to leave the restaurant, you have a hard time getting up from the table because you are so stiff from a day of pulling machines out from the tall grass and from behind 20-30 refrigerators, hauling washers and dryers across 11 acres.

You can't wait to get home with the things you found, and yet you kick yourself for all the things you left behind.

God bless that place and the people who own it!

 

[hoover1060]

Thanks Robert

Looks like it was a neat place, and so much history in one place!
The vacuum graveyards I have seen have all been indoors, usually the basement of a long established vac shop, but the feelings invoked are the same: piles of cleaners, lots of dirt, and treasure mixed in amongst it all.

You did an absolutely beautiful job on those turquoise Frigidaires too!

 

[gansky1]

2002

It was late April or early May 2002 when Robert and I were out there, my photo albums were all created on Yahoo that summer. Here is a link to a few pictures of when Jimmy, Peter and I went up in June, '02. Two trips in one summer and I don't think anyone else has been back there since. I'm sure it is all gone now, but the toxic waste of oil running from the machines into the ground is probably making for some strange tasting corn!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/gansky1/detail?.dir=b3af&.dnm=0bd2.jpg&.src=ph

 

[Unimatic1140]

So it was 2002, four years ago the last time I was there, I can't keep all these years of washer collecting straight anymore.

For sure its all gone by now.

So who else went hunting in the Field of Dreams, we know Greg (Gansky), Jimmy (Filterflo), Peter (PeterH770), John E, Jon Charles (Jetcone), Don Haggerty, Robert Stokes (Syndets2000), John Lefever, Don (Jetaction) and myself (Unimatic1140) made the trek at different times, who else?

 

[westytoploader]

That looks like it was an EXTRAORDINARY place; thanks for sharing Robert! I've watched the "vintage" videos on countless occasions and it sounded like everyone was having fun. What a feeling of exhilaration it must have been walking through the fields and endless rows to find your dream machine, and seeing many other dream machines in the process. Were there any Apex machines there back in '97?

Also, I'd be interested to know what machines were taken from the farm and restored back to their original glory by which members?

--Austin

 

[westytoploader]

And that 60's 18-pound Wards Signature with the spiral-vane agitator is one of my dream machines!!

 

[swestoyz]

Robert - well thank you very much for putting together this wonderful array of photos of the Farm. I have been to places like this when I was a young kid - back in the mid eighties. Dad was always into old cars, and there always seemed to be plenty of appliances strewn about with the cars. Those few days in 97 look to have been speechless - I find it hard to even write words to describe the photos!

Thanks again -

Ben

 

[frigilux]

Thanks for the great pics, Uni! I have so much respect for the work you (and so many others in the AW.ORG family) have done with restorations. It's amazing.