Hidden museum in St. Regis

ST. REGIS – From the outside, St. Regis resident Earl Eisenbacher’s workshop looks like any other building one might see throughout Mineral County with an unassuming appearance that betrays the treasure trove within the walls.

Inside his workshop, Eisenbacher has a collection of thousands upon thousands of antiques that would rival any museum in the region. Adorning the walls are thousands of tools and old farming equipment he has painstakingly restored to near pristine condition. On the floor of the building, are dozens of fully restored vehicles including a snowmobile, scooters and assorted wheeled contraptions.

He is especially proud of his collections of wrenches numbering in the thousands all carefully displayed on the walls of the workshop. In fact, all of Eisenbacher’s collections are carefully arranged and displayed all over the inside of the building. Hay baling equipment hangs from the ceilings intermingled with a dizzying array of other pieces and antiques.

Eisenbacher said he started collecting in 1999 after retiring from a career in the military. He said he has travelled and found pieces all over the country including as far away as Missouri. He said his training in the military gave him the skills necessary to fix and restore just about anything he gets his hands on.

“I was trained in the military on aviation,” Eisenbacher said. “Once you’ve gone through that, you should be able to work on just about anything. That’s how I learned how to do this work. This is my own personal museum.”

Eisenbacher also specializes in engines. There are approximately 140 different engines in the workshop that owe their new life to Eisenbacher.

And, he said, every one of them runs.

“I love the restoration,” Eisenbacher said. “To hear an old engine run, to make it come back to life again, it’s always fascinating. It’s great to hear an old engine start up that you’ve worked on from beginning to end. No matter what kind of engine it is, it’s all based on the same things.”

Eisenbacher said he is still collecting and in the process of restoring various pieces. He said, while the pace of the work has slowed somewhat, he has no plans to stop adding to his impressive collection.

“Right now, I got a John Deere engine I’m working on,” Eisenbacher said. “I still go out and look for stuff. I go to estate sales and auctions. You just never know what you’re gonna find.”