As I said, I cannot remember if it was there when I last visited Hartford in
the 80s, but it was in the basement back in 1972. I distinctly remember the
low ceiling and being surprised that the basement had a newish cement floor
and was actually done up very 1970s-like. In other words, it was obviously
not the basement the family ever saw.
I don't think the museum was there in 1972; I think that came along a bit
later. I remember being shocked when I saw it. The fact that I don't
remember going into the basement during the 80s visits suggests that the
machine may have already moved by that point.
I also remember being pleasantly surprised by it. I had seen The Adventures
of Mark Twain and really expected a very goofy looking machine. The movie
does the machine, and perhaps Paige, a disservice for comic effect. The
actual machine looks as though it should do SOMETHING useful.
Carl J. Chimi
Bloomsburg University
Bloomsburg, PA