In a woodshed at the rear of this site in 1886, Mrs. Josephine Garis Cochran invented one of the first mechanical dishwashers ever built. She exhibited her patented machines at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893 and won the highest award. More than 100 years ago, this work produced the progenitor of today's KitchenAid dishwasher and reflected the achievement of one of America's first female inventors, a woman from Shelbyville, Illinois.
